THE 


W 


mtimM 


HERBERT  W.  L 


mm 


WHBi 

.••'-    SwSS  B5KES89 


Wmsm 


ll|N  22  191R 
^MlCALSl*^ 


Sectteq        ^OC 


THE 
JUNIOR  PARISH 


v 

I  UN  22  191 


A 


_ 

THE 

JUNIOR  PARISH 

by    y 
HERBERT  W.  LATHE 


zn 


3GJCAL  11^ 


s 


AMERICAN  TRACT  SOCIETY 

PARK  AVENUE  AND  FORTIETH  STREET 

NEW  YORK 


Copyright,  1915,  by 

AMERICAN  TRACT  SOCIETY 


Dedicated 

TO 

THE  BOYS  AND  GIRLS 

TO  WHOM  THESE  SERMONS 

WERE  PREACHED 


CONTENTS 

EVERY  DAY  SERMONS 


PAGE 

WHY  JESUS  WENT  TO   CHURCH 3 

WHAT   THE   STARS   SING 7 

*  MY    LIFE 10 

A    CRUMB    FROM   THE    TABLE 13 

WHERE    JESUS    FOUND    PEOPLE 16 

THE    PARABLE   OF   THE    LEAD   PENCIL 19 

RAILROAD    LIGHTS 22 

A  GOOD  NAME 27 

-A  LADDER  WITH  TWO  ENDS 31 

MY  PARTNER 34 

GOING   TO    SUNDAY-SCHOOL    ON   A   RAINY   DAY       .      ..  37 

RUNAWAY    BOB 40 

THE    MAN   WHO    COULD    DO    EVERYTHING    ....  44 

HOW   MUCH   DO   YOU   WEIGH? 47 

THINGS   THAT   COME   INTO   YOUR   MIND 51 

HOW    GOD    SAVES    PEOPLE 54 

KINDNESS  TO  ANIMALS 58 

KEEPING     PROMISES 62 

DOING  ONE  THING 65 

KEEPING  THE  HEART 68 

THE    CLOTHES   WHICH   WE    WEAR   TO    CHURCH      .      .  71 

A   JAPANESE   PARABLE    OF   CONTENTMENT    ....  75 

LINGERING 78 

SMALL   THINGS 81 

vii 


Contents 


X      T 


PAGE 

FARES,    PLEASE! 84 

SOME  MISTAKES  WHICH  A  YOUNG  MAN  MADE   ...  88 

A    MISSIONARY    POTATO 91 

REVERENCE 94 

HOW    THE    ICEBERG   WAS    CONQUERED 97 

HOW  GOD   LOOKS  AT  PEOPLE 101 

JESUS,     SAVIOUR 104 

TWO    IRON    SAFES 108 

TAKING    OUT   THE    SQUEAK 112 

A   GOOD   GUIDE 116 

SINGS-AS-HE-WALKS 119 

A    GOOD    TEMPERANCE    PLEDGE 122 

RICH    PEOPLE 126 

FRIENDS   AFTER   A    FIGHT 130 

THE    BIRTHDAY    BOX 133 

THE    CEDAR-TREES 137 

WHAT    THE    BIBLE    SAYS   ABOUT    RAIN 141 

SHALL    I    BE    A    MISSIONARY? 145 

WHY    HAMAN    WAS    UNHAPPY 148 

UP    TO    THE    BRIM 152 

SHINING    LIGHTS 156 

HE    MUSTARD    SEED 160 

THE    COLPORTERS 164 

PRECIOUS    PROMISES 168 

THE    BROKEN    JAR 172 

GOOD    BOOKS 176 

THE    BOY   WHO   WAS  AFRAID    TO    JUMP 180 

WHAT    SHALL    I    DO    WITH    LIFE? 184 

PRAYERS    THAT   ARE    HEARD    IN    HEAVEN    .       .       .       .188 

HOW   ALEXANDER   TAMED   THE    HORSE 192 

GETTING    MAD 196 

WHERE    DO    YOU    LIVE? 200 

HIDING   FROM   GOD 203 

WHAT    CHRIST    NEEDS 207 

viii 


Contents 


PAGE 

ACCIDENTS 211 

PLEASE    SHUT    THE    GATE 215 

GOD'S    JEWELS 219 

SHAKE     BEFORE     USING 223 

THE  LESSON  OF  THE  HONEY  GUIDE 227 

LIONS    IN    THE    WAY 231 

SERMONS  FOR   SPECIAL   OCCASIONS 

CRADLE-ROLL  DAY 237 

THE  ANGEL  AND  THE   SANDALS 240 

RALLY    DAY 244 

ABRAHAM    LINCOLN 248 

EASTER  SUNDAY 252 

SPRINGTIME 256 

MOTHERS'     DAY 260 

SHOW  YOUR  COLORS 264 

THE  STAR  OF  BETHLEHEM 268 

LETTING  GO  AND  TAKING  HOLD 272 

INDEX  OF  TEXTS 277 


EVERY  DAY  SERMONS 


THE  JUNIOR  PARISH 

WHY  JESUS  WENT  TO  CHURCH 

And  he  entered,  as  his  custom  was,  into  the  syna- 
gogue on  the  Sabbath  day. — Luke  4:  16. 

It  was  Jesus'  custom  to  go  to  church. 
Every  Sabbath  found  him  in  the  synagogue 
worshiping  his  Father.  We  may  believe 
that  one  reason  he  went  to  the  house  of  God 
was  that  his  parents  went  and  took  him  with 
them.  Boys  and  girls  who  have  good 
parents  are  fortunate,  and  it  is  always  safe 
for  them  to  go  where  father  and  mother  go. 

Jesus  also  remembered  that  the  Sabbath 
is  God's  holy  day  and  that  he  has  com- 
manded people  to  reverence  that  day.  One 
time  Jesus  said,  "I  do  always  the  things  that 
are  pleasing  to  him."  That  is  a  good  rule. 
Jesus  never  forgot  to  please  God. 


The  Junior  Parish 

A  woman  was  returning  from  church  one 
Sunday  when  she  met  a  man  hurrying  down 
the  road.  "Have  you  seen  a  boy  with  a 
fishing  pole?"  he  asked. 

"Yes,"  said  she,  "a  boy  with  a  short  mem- 
ory." 

"What  makes  you  think  that  he  has  a 
short  memory?" 

"Because,"  replied  the  woman,  "the  great 
God  has  said,  'Remember  the  Sabbath  day 
to  keep  it  holy,'  and  that  boy  has  forgotten 
all  about  it." 

Jesus  went  to  church  because  it  did  him 
good  to  go.  As  a  boy  he  might  not  have 
understood  all  that  he  heard,  but  he  listened 
to  the  reading  of  the  Scriptures  and  to  the 
sacred  songs  and  learned  to  worship  God. 
We  carry  home  from  church  many  good  im- 
pressions which  we  can  think  of  during  the 
week,  which  help  us  to  live  right  lives. 

And  Jesus  went  to  church  to  meet  his 
4 


The  Junior  Parish 

Father.  God  himself  is  always  in  the  sanc- 
tuary where  his  people  meet.  It  is  the  place 
where  his  honor  dwells.  He  promises  to 
bless  those  who  meet  him  there.  Our  Sav- 
iour tells  a  story  of  a  man  who  gave  a  feast 
and  invited  his  guests,  and  they  would  not 
come.  What  would  you  think  if  you  were 
to  give  a  party  and  send  out  invitations  to 
your  mates,  and  on  the  afternoon  appointed, 
with  everything  ready,  not  one  of  them 
should  appear?  God  feels  hurt  if  we  do  not 
accept  his  invitation. 

When  we  go  to  church  let  us  think,  "God 
is  here.  He  will  bless  us  if  we  go  to  his 
house." 

Think  of  the  people  you  know  who  are  ac- 
customed to  go  to  church.  Are  they  not  the 
best  people  you  know? 

Did  Jesus  go  to  church  to  set  a  good  ex- 
ample? Perhaps  he  thought,  "If  I  go  it 
may  influence  other  people  to  go  too."     Can 

5 


The  Junior  Parish 

you  invite  some  one  to  church  or  Sunday- 
school?  A  man  in  the  Bible  says,  "I  was 
glad  when  they  said  unto  me,  Let  us  go  unto 
the  house  of  Jehovah."  Some  one  had  in- 
vited him;  perhaps  he  was  waiting  to  be  in- 
vited ;  at  any  rate  he  was  glad.  You  remem- 
ber that  when  Mr.  Moody  became  a  Chris- 
tian he  went  out  into  the  street  every  Sun- 
day morning  and  collected  half  a  dozen  boys 
and  brought  them  into  the  church.  Can  we 
bring  one? 


WHAT  THE  STARS  SING 

The  morning  stars  sang  together. — Job  38:  7. 

What  did  they  sing?  There  was  once  a 
wise  Greek  philosopher  who  said  that  he 
could  hear  the  harmony  of  the  spheres,  by 
which  he  meant  that  he  could  hear  the  heav- 
enly bodies  making  music  as  they  rolled 
through  space. 

One  hymn  which  the  stars  sing  is,  "God 
made  us."  In  the  first  chapter  of  Genesis 
we  read,  "He  made  the  stars  also."  What 
great  power  God  must  have  to  make  the 
stars !  Surely  if  he  could  create  them  he  is 
able  to  take  care  of  us. 

Then  they  sing,  "He  knows  every  one  of 
us."  The  Bible  says,  "He  counteth  the 
number  of  the  stars."  The  astronomers  say 
that  there  are  40,000,000  of  them,  and  yet 
God  knows  them  by  number.     This  is  like 

7 


The  Junior  Parish 

what  Jesus  said  of  the  Good  Shepherd,  "He 
calleth  his  own  sheep  by  name."  Our 
Heavenly  Father  does  not  forget  any  one 
of  us.  There  are  millions  of  people  in  the 
world,  but  God  remembers  every  one. 

The  stars  sing  the  promises.  The  book 
of  Daniel  tells  us  that  they  that  turn  many 
to  righteousness  shall  shine  as  the  stars  for- 
ever and  ever.  How  careful  we  should  be 
of  our  influence!  By  a  good  life  we  may 
turn  our  companions  to  goodness.  Every 
junior  sets  an  example  for  good  or  for  evil. 

The  Star  of  Bethlehem  sang  of  Christ. 
It  told  the  wise  men  where  the  Saviour  was 
born.  This  must  have  been  the  most  beau- 
tiful song  that  a  star  ever  sang.  Have  you 
ever  heard  that  song  and  found  the  Saviour? 

Jesus  says,  "I  am  the  bright,  the  morning 
star."  That  must  mean  that  he  is  very 
lovely,  and  that  he  is  a  heavenly  light,  and 
that  he  is  the  children's  Saviour. 

8 


The  Junior  Parish 

How  old  must  a  boy  or  girl  be  before  he 
or  she  can  see  a  star?  If  you  are  up  early 
to-morrow  morning  look  for  the  morning 
star,  and  if  you  see  it,  say  to  yourself,  "I  am 
old  enough  to  love  and  follow  Jesus." 

The  stars  are  thankful,  always  singing  the 
praise  of  God.  "Praise  ye  him,  sun  and 
moon:  praise  him,  all  ye  stars  of  light." 
They  praise  God  by  just  shining,  as  a  good 
life  shines  to  God's  praise. 

David  went  out  at  night  and  looked  up  at 
the  skies,  and  said,  "The  heavens  declare  the 
glory  of  God;  and  the  firmament  showeth 
his  handiwork."  If  you  study  astronomy 
at  school  remember  what  the  Bible  says 
about  stars,  and  look  up  into  the  heavens  at 
night  when  all  is  quiet,  and  listen  to  hear  the 
song  of  the  stars. 


9 


MY  LIFE 

Teach  us  to  number  our  days. — Psalm  90: 12. 

Everybody  has  a  life.  No  one  has  two. 
Life  is  very  dear  to  us  all,  and  yet  we  cannot 
always  keep  it. 

Life  is  something  like  the  penny  which  the 
little  girl  had  to  spend.  It  was  the  only 
penny  she  had.  She  looked  at  many  pretty 
things  and  almost  decided  to  buy  one  after 
another.  But  she  remembered  that  when 
once  she  had  parted  with  her  fortune  she 
could  not  get  it  back.  And  so  she  waited  a 
long  time  before  letting  it  go. 

But  we  have  to  spend  our  life;  we  can- 
not keep  it.  And  we  cannot  try  over  again. 
Neither  can  we  practise  it  before  we  live  it. 
If  a  girl  is  to  play  a  piece  of  music  before 
company,  she  can  try  it  over  many  times  at 
home  till  she  learns  to  play  it  well.  If  a  boy 
10 


The  Junior  Parish 

is  to  play  a  match  game  of  ball,  he  can  prac- 
tise every  day  before  the  time  comes.  But 
we  cannot  practise  living  in  that  way.  We 
must  live  at  once. 

A  vessel  was  once  far  out  on  the  ocean 
when  a  great  storm  arose ;  the  waves  dashed 
over  the  decks  and  the  ship  began  to  sink. 
The  night  was  dark,  but  the  sailors  suc- 
ceeded in  launching  their  boat  and  rowing 
away  before  the  vessel  sank.  They  were 
in  despair  until  they  suddenly  saw  the  lights 
of  a  distant  ship,  but  how  could  they  make 
the  men  on  the  ship  see  them  in  the  dark- 
ness? They  searched  the  boat  and  found  an 
old  lantern  with  an  inch  of  candle  in  it. 
Then  they  tried  to  find  a  match:  every  man 
felt  in  all  his  pockets,  but  not  a  match  was 
to  be  found.  The  captain  told  them  to  look 
again :  every  sailor  turned  his  pockets  inside 
out,  and  at  last  one  precious  match  was 
found.  The  man  who  found  it  passed  it  to 
11 


The  Junior  Parish 

the  steward,  and  he  passed  it  to  the  mate, 
and  the  mate  gave  it  to  the  captain,  while 
all  clustered  about  holding  out  their  jackets 
to  keep  off  the  wind  when  the  captain  should 
light  the  lantern.  It  was  a  moment  of  great 
anxiety.  What  if  the  wind  should  blow  out 
the  match?  The  captain  trembled  and 
hardly  dared  to  strike,  but  he  must  do  it,  and 
so  at  last  amidst  breathless  excitement  he 
carefully  struck  the  match.  It  burned 
brightly  and  he  held  it  to  the  candle,  when 
to  the  great  joy  of  the  shipwrecked  mari- 
ners the  candle  gave  out  a  glowing  light. 
They  waved  the  lantern  till  the  ship  saw 
their  signal  and  came  to  them. 

What  was  it  that  made  the  one  match  so 
precious?  It  was  their  only  match,  their 
one  chance.  It  is  that  which  gives  value  to 
our  lives.  We  have  but  one,  and  if  we  spend 
it  wrongly  we  cannot  try  again.  Let  us  try 
to  live  right  the  first  time. 
12 


A  CRUMB  FROM  THE  TABLE 

Be  courteous. — I  Peter  3 :  8 ;  A.  V. 

Because  a  text  is  short  it  does  not  follow 
that  there  is  little  in  it.  A  Bible  scholar 
says,  "If  we  crumble  up  the  Bible  we  find 
something  in  every  crumb."  Our  text  is  a 
small  crumb  on  the  lowest  shelf  where  short 
little  folks  can  reach  it. 

Now  the  Bible  is  God's  book,  and  God 
thinks  that  courtesy  is  of  enough  importance 
to  be  put  into  his  Bible,  for  he  writes,  "Be 
courteous." 

Courtesy  is  a  little  more  than  politeness. 
We  may  be  polite  without  feeling  kindly  to- 
ward people,  but  a  courteous  person  has  a 
kind  heart.  The  revised  version  of  the 
Bible  changes  this  word,  which  in  the  old 
version  is  written  "courteous,"  to  "humble- 
minded,"  wrhich  is  a  beautiful  word,  for  the 
13 


The  Junior  Parish 

finest  courtesy  comes  from  people  who  are 
humble-minded.  Jesus  was  always  courte- 
ous even  to  his  enemies,  because  he  loved  all. 
I  would  like  you  to  take  your  Testaments 
and  find  some  instances  in  which  Jesus  was 
courteous  and  report  them  to  me. 

We  have  many  chances  to  be  courteous. 
At  home,  for  instance,  we  may  treat  father 
and  mother  and  sisters  and  brothers  kindly. 
Then  at  school  we  may  be  respectful  toward 
teachers  and  courteous  toward  playmates. 
A  boy  or  girl  who  treats  people  courteously 
will  be  likely  to  be  reverent  toward  God. 

A  good  way  would  be  to  try  to  give  pleas- 
ure to  others  and  never  to  give  pain.  This 
would  make  us  always  courteous.  Always 
take  special  pains  to  be  kind  and  courteous 
toward  the  aged.  One  winter  day  in  Berlin 
the  Crown  Prince  Frederick  William  and 
his  wife,  the  Princess,  with  their  two  sons, 
were  walking  along  a  street  near  the  palace, 
14? 


The  Junior  Parish 

when  an  old  man  just  in  front  of  them  fell 
on  the  slippery  pavement  and  dropped  a  big 
basket  of  pretzels  which  he  was  carrying, 
spilling  the  cakes  on  the  ground.  At  once 
the  two  sons  sprang  forward  and  helped  the 
old  man  pick  them  up,  while  their  parents 
stood  waiting  for  them.  Impoliteness  and 
discourtesy  are  the  marks  of  bad  breeding 
and  a  low  character. 

A  senator  of  the  United  States  once  met  a 
negro  in  Washington  who  took  off  his  hat  to 
him.  The  senator  at  once  raised  his  hat  in 
return.  Another  senator  walking  with  him 
asked  him  why  he  did  that,  and  he  replied 
that  he  couldn't  let  a  negro  be  more  courte- 
ous than  he  was. 

Let  us  be  courteous  to  the  poor  and  the 
lowly  and  to  all  who  seem  in  any  way  in- 
ferior. Be  courteous  even  to  a  tramp.  It 
will  make  you  happier  and  better  and  may 
help  him.  Who  knows  ? 
15 


WHERE  JESUS  FOUND  PEOPLE 

For  the  Son  of  Man  came  to  seek  and  to  save  that 
which  was  lost. — Luke  19:  10. 

Where  did  Jesus  find  lost  people? 

He  found  some  in  a  boat  on  the  Sea  of 
Galilee.  They  were  fishermen.  Can  you 
give  me  their  names?  Some  of  them  were 
mending  their  nets,  and  Jesus  said  to  them, 
"Follow  me." 

One  lost  man  he  found  in  a  counting- 
house.  What  a  strange  place!  The  man 
was  a  tax-collector.  He  had  two  names. 
One  name  was  Matthew:  who  can  give  his 
other  name?  Jesus  walked  right  up  to  his 
place  of  business  and  invited  him  to  leave 
his  work  and  be  a  disciple.  Do  you  remem- 
ber whether  this  man  accepted  Christ's  in- 
vitation? 

Jesus  found  another  in  a  little  chamber. 
16 


The  Junior  Parish 

It  was  in  the  night  that  this  visitor  came  to 
him,  because  for  some  reason  he  was  too 
timid  to  come  in  the  daytime.  This  man 
was  very  learned,  a  Rabbi;  and  Jesus  tried 
to  save  him,  telling  him  that  he  must  have  a 
new  heart,  and  this  wise  man  could  not  un- 
derstand the  Saviour.  But  afterward  he 
understood  and  became  a  faithful  follower 
of  Christ. 

Jesus  once  found  a  lost  woman  at  a  well. 
It  was  in  Samaria,  and  he  was  very  tired 
and  thirsty  and  asked  the  woman  to  draw 
some  water  for  him.  Then  he  offered  to 
give  her  some  better  water,  the  water  of  life, 
and  she  left  her  water-pot  and  ran  into  the 
village  and  told  the  people  to  come  and  see 
this  wonderful  teacher.  And  many  of  them 
became  his  disciples. 

Who  was  that  lost  man  whom  Jesus  found 
in  a  tree?  He  was  a  little  man  and  a  rich 
man,  hiding  up  there  among  the  branches, 
17 


The  Junior  Parish 

but  Jesus  spied  him  and  said,  "Come  down, 
for  I  will  abide  in  your  house." 

Jesus  never  stopped  finding  lost  souls. 
At  the  very  end  of  his  life,  while  dying  on 
the  cross,  he  found  a  poor  lost  thief  and 
saved  him.  What  a  loving  Saviour!  He 
is  seeking  us  all.  Has  he  found  you?  He 
is  here  to-day  saying  to  you,  "Follow  me." 

Listen  to  him  and  accept  his  invitation. 


18 


THE  PARABLE  OF  THE  LEAD 
PENCIL 

I  will  incline  mine  ear  to  a  parable. — Psalm  49 :  4. 

Every  boy  or  girl  is  like  the  lead  pencil. 

1.  A  pencil  has  two  parts,  wood  and  lead. 
The  lead  is  inside  the  wood.  So  every  young 
person  has  a  body  and  a  soul.  The  soul  is 
more  important  than  the  body  just  as  the 
lead  is  more  important  than  the  wood.  A 
very  earnest  minister  says  that  we  must  al- 
ways speak  of  ourselves  in  this  way:  I  am 
a  living  soul.  My  soul  has  a  body  in  which 
it  dwells.  In  this  way  we  understand  that 
our  body  is  only  the  tool  which  our  soul  uses. 
Now  we  must  keep  the  body  well  and  strong 
so  that  the  soul  may  have  a  good  home. 

2.  The  pencil  must  be  sharpened  before 
it  can  be  used.  Young  people  sometimes 
get  tired  of  going  to  school  to  have  their 

19 


The  Junior  Parish 

minds  sharpened.  But  we  need  to  be  pre- 
pared for  use  and  for  life  in  the  school  and 
home  and  church;  and  just  as  pencils  must 
be  sharpened  again  and  again,  so  our  educa- 
tion is  not  finished  when  we  leave  school,  but 
continues  through  life. 

3.  The  pencil  has  been  polished.  It 
might  be  of  use  if  it  were  plain  and  rough, 
but  we  like  to  have  it  smooth  and  attractive. 
Good  manners  are  beautiful.  Do  not  use 
slang.  Do  not  be  rough  and  coarse.  Be 
courteous  and  amiable  and  pleasant. 

4.  Pencils  make  marks.  That  is  what 
they  are  for.  They  make  straight  and 
crooked  marks,  good  and  bad  ones.  So  boys 
and  girls  are  making  their  marks.  The  art- 
ist Giotto,  when  a  young  man,  took  a  pen- 
cil and  with  one  stroke  drew  a  perfect  circle. 
He  had  practised  a  long  time  before  he  could 
do  it.  Lazy  boys  never  become  men  of 
mark.     It  requires  industry  and  persever- 

20 


The  Junior  Parish 

ance  to  succeed.     People  who  depend  on 
good  luck  usually  fail  in  the  end. 

5.  I  notice  something  at  the  other  end  of 
my  pencil.  It  is  a  piece  of  rubber.  Of 
course  it  has  some  use.  Oh,  yes,  it  is  there 
to  erase  bad  marks.  Is  there  any  way  by 
which  our  bad  marks  can  be  rubbed  out,  any 
way  to  make  the  paper  white  again?  Jesus 
Christ  is  the  only  one  who  can  rub  out  the 
bad  marks  which  we  make.  He  is  able  to 
erase  our  mistakes  and  sins  and  to  make  the 
paper  whiter  than  snow.  When  he  spoke  to 
the  thief  on  the  cross  he  rubbed  out  all  the 
evil  of  that  man's  life. 


21 


RAILROAD  LIGHTS 

Thy  word  is  a  lamp  unto  my  feet,  and  light  unto 
my  path. — Psalm  119:  105. 

I  was  down  at  the  railroad  station  the 
other  night,  and  I  saw  various  lights  up  and 
down  the  track.  They  looked  very  merry 
twinkling  and  winking  at  one  another.  I 
observed  that  they  were  of  different  colors 
and  asked  my  friend,  the  station  master, 
what  they  were  for. 

"Well,"  said  he,  "they  are  signals.  See 
that  white  one?  That  says,  'Come  on!' 
When  the  nine  o'clock  express  comes  along 
the  engineer  will  see  that  light  and  will  know 
that  the  track  is  clear." 

That  made  me  think  of  some  of  the  white 
lights  of  the  Bible.  "Honor  thy  father  and 
thy  mother,"  is  one.  "He  that  ruleth  his 
spirit  is  better  than  he  that  taketh  a  city," 


The  Junior  Parish 

is  another.  When  a  boy  or  girl  tries  to  be 
sweet  and  not  to  "get  mad,"  the  Bible  hangs 
out  this  lantern,  which  says,  "You're  on  the 
right  track.  Go  ahead!"  The  Beatitudes 
are  also  white  lights.  And  think  of  that 
light  which  Jesus  so  often  put  out  on  the 
track  of  life,  "Follow  me." 

"But,"  said  I  to  the  railroad  man,  "I  see 
a  green  light  down  yonder." 

"Yes,"  said  he,  "that's  on  the  other  track 
for  the  freight.  That  says,  'Go  slow!'  It 
tells  the  engineer  to  slack  up  and  be  cau- 
tious." 

Then  I  remembered  some  green  lights 
which  I  had  seen  in  the  Bible :  "Pride  goeth 
before  destruction."  When  anybody  begins 
to  feel  pretty  well  satisfied  with  himself  he 
would  better  be  careful.  "Keep  thy  heart 
with  all  diligence."  Then  I  must  be  careful 
what  I  learn  to  love.  Sometimes  when 
young  people  are  going  with  bad  compan- 


The  Junior  Parish 

ions  the  Bible  swings  out  a  bright  green 
light — "A  companion  of  fools  shall  smart 
for  it."  Find  some  more  of  these  warning 
lights  in  the  Word  of  God. 

Just  then  the  express  train  came  rolling 
in,  and  I  stopped  to  watch  the  passengers. 
In  a  few  minutes,  however,  it  drew  out,  and 
I  saw  a  red  light  fastened  to  the  end  of  the 
last  car.  "Ah,"  said  I,  "there  is  still  an- 
other color." 

"That's  the  danger  signal,"  said  my 
friend.  "We  put  it  at  the  end  of  every 
train  so  that  no  other  train  may  run  into  it 
from  behind,  and  whenever  there  is  a  wreck 
on  the  track,  or  a  broken  rail,  or  danger  of 
any  kind,  we  swing  out  a  red  light.  It  says 
— 'Danger — Stop — Shut  off  the  steam.'  " 

I  thought  of  all  the  men  in  prison  and  said 
to  myself  that  they  had  not  heeded  the  red 
signals.  When  God  says,  "Thou  shalt  not," 
we  had  better  put  on  the  brakes.     If  we  go 

M 


The  Junior  Parish 

rushing  past  one  of  his  commandments  we 
shall  surely  have  a  smash-up.  When  I  see 
a  boy  taking  a  drink  at  the  saloon  I  want  to 
wave  that  red  light,  "At  the  last  it  biteth 
like  a  serpent  and  stingeth  like  an  adder." 

Before  every  sin  that  we  commit  God 
places  one  of  these  danger  signals.  He 
warns  us  because  he  loves  us.  If  he  hears  a 
boy  beginning  to  use  profane  words  he  calls 
out,  "Jehovah  will  not  hold  him  guiltless 
that  taketh  his  name  in  vain." 

This  reminds  me  of  the  Boston  lad,  rather 
small  for  his  years,  who  worked  as  errand 
boy  in  a  store.  One  day  he  heard  some  men 
talking  in  the  store  and  using  bad  language. 
One  of  them  spied  him  and  began  to  make 
fun  of  him  for  being  so  small. 

"You  will  never  amount  to  much,  such  a 
little  man  as  you,"  they  said. 

"Small  as  I  am,  I  can  do  something  that 
you  men  can't  do,"  said  the  boy, 
25 


The  Junior  Parish 

"And  what  is  that?" 

"I  don't  know  that  I  ought  to  tell  you," 
replied  the  little  man.  But  they  were  very 
anxious  to  know,  and  so  the  boy  told  them, 
"I  can  keep  from  swearing."  The  men 
were  very  much  ashamed. 


26 


A  GOOD  NAME 

A  good  name  is  rather  to  be  chosen  than  great 
riches. — Proverbs  22:  1. 

This  sermon  is  a  story.  It  is  a  true  story 
about  a  man  whom  I  knew. 

When  he  was  a  small  boy  his  parents  died, 
and  he  was  sent  to  work  for  a  farmer,  who 
promised  to  keep  him  until  he  should  be  six- 
teen years  old,  and  then  to  give  him  a  suit 
of  clothes  and  a  hundred  dollars  and  let  him 
go  out  into  the  world  if  he  wished  to  do  so. 
The  farmer  was  a  mean  man,  and  when 
David  became  sixteen  years  old  the  man 
gave  him  only  a  few  dollars  and  no  suit  of 
clothes  and  told  him  to  go  away.  David 
rolled  his  possessions  into  a  bundle,  cut  a 
walking  stick,  and  set  out.  By-and-by  he 
came  to  a  fork  in  the  road  and  stood  his  stick 
up  straight  and  let  it  fall,  thinking  that  he 
27 


The  'Junior  Parish 

would  go  in  the  direction  which  it  pointed. 
It  pointed  toward  a  town  some  miles  away. 

When  David  reached  this  town  he  began 
to  hunt  for  work,  and  at  last  found  a  chance 
in  a  hotel  to  scrub  pots  and  kettles  in  the 
kitchen.  The  cook  taught  him  how  to  make 
molasses  candy,  and  lo,  in  a  few  months  we 
see  David  with  a  large  tin  tray  slung  by  a 
strap  around  his  neck  selling  candy  on  the 
streets.  He  was  thrifty  and  economical, 
and  before  many  months  he  had  money 
enough  to  hire  a  tin  peddler's  cart  and  to 
drive  about  the  country  selling  tinware  and 
brooms  and  other  kitchen  goods.  His  motto 
was,  "Little  by  little." 

Soon  he  bought  the  cart,  then  two  more, 
and  hired  men  to  drive  for  him  and  sell  his 
wares.  One  of  his  good  habits  was  to  go  to 
church,  and  about  this  time  he  gave  his  heart 
to  Christ  and  became  a  Christian. 

Then  he  had  a  great  battle.  He  had  good 
28 


The  Junior  Parish 

ability  to  make  money,  but  he  hated  to  give 
any  away,  wishing  to  save  and  to  hoard  his 
treasures.  But  he  knew  that  a  Christian 
should  be  generous  and  should  give  money 
to  the  Lord.  He  thought  about  it  and 
prayed  about  it,  and  at  last  determined  that 
he  would  give  whether  it  hurt  him  or  not. 
It  was  very  hard  at  first,  but  after  a  time 
he  found  that  it  was  a  pleasure  to  give. 
That  is  the  way  God  treats  us  when  we  use 
our  money  for  him. 

David  next  bought  a  hardware  store,  a 
small  one  at  first,  but  he  enlarged  it  as  he 
went  on,  and  for  many  years  lived  in  that 
town  and  became  a  rich  man.  He  was  su- 
perintendent of  the  Sunday-school  when  I 
first  knew  him,  and  all  the  little  folks  loved 
him.  He  spoke  to  us  on  the  street  with 
pleasant  greeting,  and  he  had  one  of  the 
most  winning  smiles  I  ever  saw.  As  he  be- 
came richer  he  grew  more  generous,  and  he 
29 


The  Junior  Parish 

was  happiest  when  he  was  giving  away  to 
others.  The  happiest  and  best  people  are 
those  who  do  good  with  their  money,  whether 
they  have  much  or  little. 


30 


A  LADDER  WITH  TWO  ENDS 

There  is  a  way  which  seemeth  right  unto  a  man, 
But  the  end  thereof  are  the  ways  of  death. 

— Proverbs  14: 12. 

A  boy  was  once  carrying  a  heavy  ladder 
when  suddenly  there  was  a  crash.  The  rear 
end  of  the  ladder  hit  a  window  and  broke  the 
glass. 

His  father,  instead  of  scolding  him,  said, 
"Look  here,  my  son,  there  is  one  thing  I 
wish  you  to  remember :  every  ladder  has  two 
ends." 

The  boy  never  forgot  that  lesson.  We 
carry  other  things  besides  ladders  that  have 
two  ends.  When  I  see  a  young  man  get- 
ting fast  habits,  I  think  he  sees  only  one 
end  of  the  ladder,  the  one  pointing  toward 
pleasure,  and  that  he  does  not  think  that  the 
other  end  is  breaking  his  parents'  hearts. 
31 


The  Junior  Parish 

When  I  see  a  scholar  neglecting  his  les- 
sons, I  wish  that  he  could  see  that  the  end 
of  it  will  be  a  poor  education. 

Our  text  says  that  this  way  which  ends  in 
death  seems  right  at  the  start.  It  is  pleas- 
ant and  inviting. 

Near  my  house  there  is  a  beautiful  grove 
of  trees.  As  you  come  near  you  see  a  trail 
leading  into  the  woods.  There  you  will 
find  green  grass  and  ferns  and  daisies. 
The  birds  are  singing  on  the  branches  and 
great  big  bumble-bees  are  humming  queer 
tunes. 

You  enter  the  trail  and  walk  on  with  de- 
light. How  soft  the  moss  is  under  your 
feet:  how  cool  on  a  warm  day!  Soon  the 
path  begins  to  go  up.  It  grows  gravelly 
and  hard.  The  trees  are  smaller  and  the 
way  becomes  rocky.  You  clamber  on  and 
the  trail  grows  faint,  until  at  last  you  are  on 
the  top  of  a  high  hill  with  no  path  in  sight. 


The  Junior  Parish 

A  jack-rabbit  bounces  out  and  runs,  fright- 
ened, into  the  bushes.  A  snake  wriggles 
among  the  rocks.  You  lose  your  way  but 
keep  on  until  suddenly  you  stop  dn  alarm. 
Right  before  you  is  a  great  precipice.  You 
look  down,  down,  and  see  jagged  rocks  and 
at  the  bottom  a  brawling  river.  And  that 
is  the  other  end  of  the  beautiful  trail. 

We  can  go  back  from  such  a  walk  as  this, 
back  to  our  good  home  and  to  safety.  But 
we  cannot  return  from  the  end  of  this  way 
in  our  text.  There  is  another  verse  in  the 
Bible  which  says,  "Make  level  the  path  of 
thy  feet  and  let  all  thy  ways  be  established." 
I  think  it  must  mean  that  we  do  well  to  think 
of  both  ends  of  the  way. 


MY  PARTNER 

He  is  my  partner. — II  Corinthians  8:23. 

Men  have  partners  in  business.  They 
work  together  and  often  are  very  fond  of 
each  other.  Boys  and  girls  have  partners  in 
play  and  work.  When  they  go  to  college 
they  call  their  partners  chums,  which  is  a 
short  word  for  comrades. 

There  was  once  a  man  who  had  the  queer 
name  of  Pam  Chick.  He  began  to  drink 
beer,  then  stronger  liquor,  and  at  last  be- 
came a  drunkard. 

Of  course  his  business  suffered.  People 
avoided  him  and  would  not  buy  his  goods. 
But  one  day  they  were  surprised  to  see  a 
great  many  new  goods  being  moved  into  his 
store,  and  Pam  himself  hard  at  work,  sober 
and  smiling.  Then  the  painters  came  and 
gave  the  building  a  clean  bright  coat,  and 
34 


The  Junior  Parish 

they  put  up  a  fresh  new  sign,  Pam  Chick 
and  Partner. 

Everybody  was  curious  to  know  who  was 
foolish  enough  to  go  into  business  with  Pam, 
but  he  said  nothing  about  it,  only  kept  work- 
ing and  filled  the  windows  with  attractive 
goods.  And  he  stopped  drinking,  attended 
to  business,  and  on  Sunday  walked  into 
church  and  took  a  front  seat. 

But  no  partner  appeared  in  the  store. 
Who  could  this  mysterious  person  be? 

At  last  the  secret  came  out.  Pam's  part- 
ner was  Jesus.  He  had  gone  to  God  and 
asked  him  to  forgive  his  sins  and  to  help  him 
to  be  a  better  man.  He  had  given  his  heart 
to  his  Saviour  and  promised  to  follow  him. 
And  God  had  given  him  strength  to  resist 
the  temptation  to  drink. 

When  the  people  asked  Pam  what  part 
Jesus  had  in  the  business,  he  replied  that 
Jesus  and  he  consulted  together  about  every- 


The  Junior  Parish 

thing,  planned  what  to  do,  and  never  did 
anything  that  they  both  could  not  agree  to, 
and  they  divided  the  profits:  Pam  lived  on 
his  share  and  Jesus  received  his  share. 

A  great  many  people  have  taken  this  same 
Partner.  They  seem  to  be  very  well  satis- 
fied and  to  get  on  well.  Yes,  they  seem  to 
love  their  Partner  and  to  be  happy  with  him. 

Jesus  is  quite  willing  to  be  the  Partner  of 
any  one  of  us.  If  we  go  into  partnership 
with  him  we  talk  over  all  our  plans  with 
him,  ask  his  counsel  as  to  what  is  best  to  do, 
and  never  do  anything  until  he  and  we  agree 
about  it. 


36 


GOING  TO  SUNDAY-SCHOOL 
ON  A  RAINY  DAY 

And  the  rain  descended. — Matthew  7 :  27. 

On  a  bright,  pleasant  Sunday  how  full 
the  Sunday-school  is!  Everybody  is  there. 
But  when  a  rainy  day  comes  where  are  all 
the  scholars?  Drip,  drip,  drip,  and  small 
classes!  The  superintendent  says,  "We 
will  unite  some  of  the  classes  to-day,  there 
are  so  few  present." 

Why  do  I  go  to  Sunday-school  on  a  rainy 
day? 

One  reason  is  that  the  Fourth  Command- 
ment does  not  say  anything  about  rain.  I 
suppose  that  if  God  had  meant  to  have  me 
stay  at  home  on  wet  days  he  would  have 
written,  "Remember  the  Sabbath  day  to 
keep  it  holy — except  when  it  rains." 

A  second  reason  is  that  the  superintend- 
37 


The  Junior  Parish 

ent  will  be  there  and  my  teacher.  It  is  no 
more  difficult  for  me  to  be  present  than  it  is 
for  them,  and  I  wish  to  please  and  encour- 
age them  by  my  presence. 

Still  a  third  reason  why  I  go  is  that  while 
I  count  for  only  one  on  pleasant  days,  I 
count  for  four  or  five  when  there  are  few 
present. 

Then,  too,  I  remember  that  the  rain  did 
not  keep  me  away  from  the  party  last 
Wednesday  afternoon,  and  on  Thursday 
night  I  went  to  the  moving  picture  show  in 
a  pouring  rain,  and  I  sat  on  the  bleachers 
for  two  hours  Saturday  afternoon  to  see  the 
ball  game,  although  it  drizzled  some  of  the 
time  and  was  cold.  Besides  I  went  to  the 
day  school  all  the  week  although  it  was  a 
rainy  time.  I  make  it  my  rule  to  go  to 
church  and  Sunday-school  if  I  would  go  to 
any  week-day  entertainment  under  the  same 
circumstances. 

38 


The  Junior  Parish 

I  also  think  something  of  my  example. 
Perhaps  if  I  go  some  other  person  will  be 
influenced  by  me  to  go  also. 

But  the  best  reason  why  I  go  to  Sunday- 
school  on  rainy  days  is  that  I  love  to  go.  I 
find  that  it  does  me  good.  I  do  not  wish  to 
miss  a  single  lesson.  Perhaps  if  I  stay  away 
some  Sunday  I  shall  lose  the  very  lesson 
which  I  need  most.  Besides  I  try  to  please 
God,  and  I  believe  that  he  is  pleased  when  I 
am  faithful. 


39 


RUNAWAY  BOB 

What  shall  I  do  then  with  Jesus? — Matthew  27: 
22,  A.  V. 

There  are  many  kinds  of  Bobs,  long  and 
short,  handsome  and  homely,  good  and  bad, 
and  then  some. 

The  particular  Bob  of  this  story  was  called 
Runaway  Bob  by  his  playmates,  because 
his  mother  could  not  make  him  stay  at 
home. 

In  "Fifty  Missionary  Stories"  Miss  Belle 
Brain  tells  how  he  answered  the  question  in 
our  text. 

When  he  was  a  little  fellow,  living  in  Scot- 
land, he  was  invited  into  a  Sunday-school 
class  of  poor  boys.  The  superintendent 
gave  him  a  new  suit  of  clothes,  and  he  came 
to  the  school  for  two  or  three  Sundays,  and 
40 


The  Junior  Parish 

then  disappeared.  The  teacher  hunted  him 
up  and  found  his  clothes  torn  and  dirty,  but 
persuaded  him  to  return  to  the  school. 

The  superintendent  gave  him  another  suit, 
but  after  attending  once  or  twice  he  was 
again  missing.  Once  more  the  teacher 
sought  and  found  him,  and  his  clothes  were 
again  spoiled.  "I  am  utterly  discouraged," 
she  said,  "and  must  give  him  up." 

"Please  don't  do  that,"  the  superintendent 
answered.  "I  believe  there  is  something 
good  in  Bob.  I  will  give  him  a  third  suit  of 
clothes,  and  we'll  try  him  again." 

And  then  Bob  stayed  with  the  school. 
Soon  he  became  a  Christian  and  at  the  age 
of  fifteen  joined  the  Church.  Then  he  de- 
cided to  be  a  minister  and  go  and  preach  to 
the  heathen. 

In  1807  he  went  to  China,  sent  by  the 
London  Missionary  Society,  but  he  came  to 
New  York  and  sailed  for  China  from  there, 
41 


The  Junior  Parish 

because  the  English  Government  would  not 
let  him  sail  from  England. 

He  reached  Canton,  and  put  on  the  Chi- 
nese garments  and  lived  like  a  Chinaman. 
He  studied  very  hard  to  learn  the  language, 
and  then  began  to  preach  to  the  people  and 
to  translate  the  Bible  into  the  Chinese  lan- 
guage. The  British  Bible  Society  gave  him 
money  to  publish  his  translation,  and  in  1824 
he  returned  to  England  and  had  the  great 
pleasure  of  presenting  to  the  English  king 
a  copy  of  the  entire  Bible  in  Chinese. 
Everywhere  he  was  received  with  great 
honor  by  scholars  and  public  men  as  well 
as  by  the  Church. 

For  twenty-seven  years  he  labored  hard  in 
China,  preaching,  healing  the  sick,  establish- 
ing schools,  publishing  books,  and  doing 
good  in  every  way  he  could  until  1834,  when 
he  went  home  to  heaven. 

That  is  the  story  of  Runaway  Bob,  or 


The  Junior  Parish 

Robert  Morrison,  the  father  of  Protestant 
missions  in  China. 

What  a  beautiful  and  useful  life !  I  think 
his  teacher  and  superintendent  must  have 
been  glad  that  they  did  not  give  him  up,  but 
kept  him  in  Sunday-school. 


45 


THE  MAN  WHO  COULD  DO 
EVERYTHING 

I  can  do  all  things  in  Him  that  strengthened  me. — 
Philippians  4:  13. 

We  don't  like  people  who  boast.  If  we 
take  the  first  five  words  of  our  text  we  might 
say,  "It  seems  to  us,  Paul,  that  you  are 
bragging.  You  say,  'I  can  do  all  things.' 
Now  perhaps  you  have  great  ability,  but  no 
man  can  do  everything." 

And  perhaps  Paul  replies,  "That  is  not 
all  I  said.  I  said  that  I  can  do  all  things  in 
Christ.  I  am  not  boasting  of  what  I  can  do. 
I  am  praising  my  Saviour  for  what  he  can 
do  by  using  me." 

Everything  that  we  ought  to  do  we  can  do 
if  we  depend  on  Christ.  We  cannot  do 
things  if  we  think  we  can't. 

When  Admiral  Farragut  drove  his  battle- 
44 


The  Junior  Parish 

ships  through  all  obstacles  at  New  Orleans, 
past  forts  which  hailed  cannon-balls  upon  his 
fleet,  and  captured  the  city,  he  owed  his  vic- 
tory to  his  terrible  determination.  Admiral 
Dupont  had  the  same  chance  to  capture 
Charleston,  but  failed.  After  the  war  he 
was  explaining  to  Farragut  why  he  could  not 
get  his  ironclads  into  Charleston  harbor. 
He  gave  this  reason  and  that  and  the  other. 
When  he  stopped,  Admiral  Farragut  said, 

"Ah,  Dupont,  there  was  one  more  rea- 
son." 

"What  was  that?" 

"You  didn't  think  you  could  do  it." 

Christ  invites  us  to  do  great  things  and 
gives  us  power  to  do  them.  Don't  be  afraid 
of  any  task  if  it  is  one  which  he  appoints.  A 
good  part  of  success  lies  in  expecting  to  suc- 
ceed. 

I  like  the  spirit  of  that  young  sailor  of 
Brooklyn.  His  name  was  Edmund  Driggs. 
45 


The  Junior  Parish 

At  the  age  of  fifteen  he  left  home  to  engage 
in  the  freighting  business  on  the  Hudson 
River.  The  sailing  master  ordered  him  to 
go  aloft  to  the  very  top  of  the  mainmast  and 
to  reef  the  halyards  there. 

The  new  sailor  looked  at  the  master  and 
then  at  the  dizzy  height,  and  then  asked  the 
question,  "Did  anybody  ever  do  that?" 

"Do  you  suppose  that  I  would  order  you 
to  do  a  thing  that  was  never  done  before?" 
replied  the  master. 

"Then  if  anybody  ever  did  it  I  can  do  it," 
answered  the  young  hero,  and  sprang  up 
aloft  and  accomplished  the  deed.  He 
adopted  for  his  life-motto  that  saying,  "If 
anybody  ever  did  it  I  can  do  it." 

Perhaps  an  even  better  one  would  be,  "If 
Christ  tells  me  to  do  a  thing  I  can  do  it." 
We  dare  to  say  that  because  we  are  sure  that 
he  will  give  us  strength  to  do  it. 


46 


HOW  MUCH  DO  YOU  WEIGH? 

Tekel.— Daniel   5:27. 

Our  text  this  morning  is  one  word — 
Tekel. 

Some  one  says,  "I  did  not  know  that  there 
was  such  a  queer  word  in  the  Bible."  Look 
in  the  fifth  chapter  of  Daniel  and  you  will 
find  it  in  the  twenty-seventh  verse  with  its 
meaning:  "Thou  art  weighed  in  the  bal- 
ances, and  art  found  wanting." 

How  fond  we  are  of  weighing  ourselves! 
The  slot-weighing  machines  are  well  patron- 
ized, and  wherever  scales  are  left  out  in  a 
grocery  store  you  will  usually  see  somebody 
using  them. 

The  greatest  weighing  machine  in  the 
United  States  is  at  Washington.  Even  the 
great  scales  on  which  freight-cars  with  their 
47 


The  Junior  Parish 

loads  of  many  tons  are  weighed  seem  small 
in  comparison  with  this  huge  pair  of  bal- 
ances. This  machine  can  outweigh  the 
largest  railroad  scales  by  fifty  tons,  and  yet 
it  is  accurate  to  a  pound.  It  is  used  to  weigh 
the  immense  guns  which  are  used  on  war 
vessels.  In  order  to  show  its  accuracy  an 
officer  threw  a  piece  of  brick  upon  its  plat- 
form, and,  consulting  the  reading  box,  told 
how  many  ounces  it  weighed. 

But  the  most  wonderful  balances  are  those 
in  which  God  weighs  our  conduct  and  char- 
acter. 

These  balances  weigh  our  words  and  our 
deeds  and  our  thoughts.  They  weighed  the 
prayer  of  the  Pharisee  and  that  of  the  publi- 
can. They  weigh  people,  and  some  of  the 
smallest  weigh  the  most. 

Did  you  ever  notice  a  great  load  of  empty 
boxes  being  drawn  through  the  street?  The 
horses  seem  to  have  an  easy  time.  Of  course 
48 


The  Junior  Parish 

they  do ;  there  is  nothing  in  the  boxes.  We 
would  be  ashamed,  wouldn't  we,  if  God  were 
to  weigh  us  for  our  character  and  find  us  like 
those  boxes! 

Two  boys  who  lived  in  the  city  went  out 
into  the  country  on  a  vacation.  The  first 
evening,  when  it  was  growing  dark,  they 
were  walking  down  a  country  road  when 
they  heard  some  frogs  croaking.  They  had 
never  heard  any  such  noise,  and  at  once  went 
to  find  what  made  it.  They  made  a  long 
search,  but  could  not  discover  anything,  and 
at  last  one  of  them  said,  "Well,  let's  go  home; 
I  reckon  it's  nothing  but  a  noise."  You 
wouldn't  wish  to  be  that  kind  of  a  Christian, 
would  you? — the  kind  that  Christ  described, 
who  say,  "Lord,  Lord,"  and  do  not  God's 
will? 

What  are  some  of  the  things  in  the  four 
Gospels  that  weigh  a  great  deal  in  God's 
scales? 

49 


The  Junior  Parish 

The  publican's  prayer,  the  widow's  mite, 
the  alabaster  box  of  ointment,  the  good 
Samaritan,  the  little  lad's  loaves  and  fishes, 
the  grain  of  mustard  seed,  the  pure  heart. 
Can  you  find  some  others?  Let  us  make  a 
list. 


50 


THINGS  THAT  COME  INTO 
YOUR  MIND 

Things  shall  come  into  thy  mind. — Ezekiel  38:  10. 

Thinking,  thinking,  thinking — our  minds 
are  always  at  work,  even  in  our  sleep. 

Lord  Roseberry  of  England  has  a  little 
daughter,  Lady  Sybil  Primrose.  One  night 
she  would  not  go  to  sleep.  She  kept  talking 
until  the  nurse  told  her  to  stop  thinking,  and 
lie  down  and  go  to  sleep.  "But  I  can't  stop 
thinking,"  she  replied,  "for  I  can't  make  my 
mind  lie  down." 

Things  come  into  our  minds  without  our 
asking:  the  good  thoughts  come  from  God, 
the  bad  thoughts  come  from  Satan.  We 
can't  help  the  bad  thoughts  coming,  but  we 
can  chase  them  out  when  they  come.  Angry 
thoughts,  impure  thoughts,  selfish  thoughts 
creep  in,  but  we  need  not  welcome  and  cher- 
51 


The  Junior  Parish 

ish  them.  The  Bible  says,  "As  he  thinketh 
within  himself,  so  is  he."  That  means  that 
we  are  just  like  our  thoughts. 

A  man  went  to  his  friend  to  borrow  a 
barrel.  He  used  the  barrel  to  hold  brandy, 
and  afterward  returned  it  to  the  owner. 
Boiling  water  was  poured  into  it,  but  still  it 
smelled  of  brandy.  Then  the  owner  used 
acids  and  disinfectants,  but  the  smell  of  the 
liquor  always  clung  to  the  barrel.  So  it  is 
with  wrong  thoughts:  if  they  are  once  ad- 
mitted they  remain  to  taint  the  whole  life. 
Good  thoughts  make  good  men. 

God  is  the  great  mind  reader.  Our 
friends  cannot  tell  what  we  are  thinking 
about,  but  God  knows.  As  David  says  to 
God,  "Thou  understandest  my  thought  afar 
off."  When  we  are  at  church  or  at  school 
or  at  play,  at  all  times  He  sees  right  into  our 
minds  and  reads  our  thoughts.  People 
sometimes  feel  that  they  may  think  bad 
52 


The  Junior  Parish 

things  if  they  do  not  do  them.  But  the 
Bible  teaches  that  evil  thoughts  are  wicked. 

Let  us  cherish  good  thoughts,  beautiful 
thoughts,  kind  and  holy  thoughts.  You  say 
that  this  is  hard  to  do.  So  it  is.  We  try 
hard,  but  evil  thoughts  come  running  in  be- 
fore we  know  it.  They  are  worse  than  the 
neighbor's  chickens  which  creep  under  the 
fence,  and  fly  over,  and  run  about,  and 
scratch  up  all  our  lovely  flowers.  We  must 
pray  about  it.  That  is  what  David  did. 
He  went  to  God  and  said,  "Let  the  words 
of  my  mouth,  and  the  meditation  of  my 
heart,  be  acceptable  in  thy  sight,  O  Jehovah, 
my  rock,  and  my  redeemer." 

God  will  help  us  to  think  right  thoughts  if 
we  ask  him.  He  will  put  good  thoughts 
into  our  hearts. 


53 


HOW  GOD  SAVES  PEOPLE 

Wait  for  Jehovah,  and  he  will  save  thee. — Prov- 
erbs 20:22. 

Some  time  let  us  make  a  list  of  the  differ- 
ent people  of  the  Bible  whom  God  saved, 
and  the  various  ways  in  which  he  saved  them. 

He  used  an  ark  to  save  Noah.  What  a 
dreadful  world  it  must  have  been  when  God 
could  find  only  one  good  family  in  it !  And 
God  saved  these  people  by  an  ark.  Who 
can  tell  how  many  there  were  of  them? 

God  saved  another  man  by  a  chariot  of 
fire  and  a  whirlwind.  Who  was  that?  A 
great  prophet;  you  remember,  it  was  Elijah. 
God  took  him  up  to  glory  in  a  chariot  of  fire. 
And  Elijah  was  ready  to  go.  It  doesn't 
make  much  difference  how  God  takes  us  to 
heaven,  but  it  is  very  important  that  we 
should  be  ready  to  go  at  any  time. 
54 


The  Junior  Parish 

God  sent  an  angel  once  to  save  Peter. 
Where  was  he?  Yes,  in  prison.  What 
tried  to  prevent  God  from  saving  him?  Two 
chains  and  two  soldiers  and  the  keepers  at 
the  door.  That  was  very  easy  for  the  angel. 
He  came  in,  a  light  illuminated  the  prison, 
he  smote  Peter  on  his  side,  told  him  to  arise 
and  bind  on  his  sandals  and  wrap  his  cloak 
about  him  and  follow  him.  And  lo,  in  a 
few  minutes  Peter  was  knocking  at  the  door 
of  Mary's  house,  and  when  Rhoda  came  to 
the  door  and  saw  Peter  she  was  so  glad  that 
she  didn't  stop  to  open  the  door,  but  ran 
back  to  tell  Peter's  friends  who  were  pray- 
ing for  him  that  he  was  waiting  to  come  in. 
And  when  they  finally  did  let  him  in  and  he 
told  how  the  angel  had  saved  him,  how 
astonished  and  glad  they  were ! 

Do  you  remember  how  God  once  saved  a 
good  man  in  a  basket?  What  was  the  city 
where  that  happened?    You  remember  that 

55 


The  Junior  Parish 

God's  servants  let  this  man  down  the  high 
wall  in  a  basket  and  he  escaped  death. 
What  was  the  man's  name? 

But  the  most  loving  and  beautiful  way  in 
which  God  saves  people  is  by  the  Cross. 

Other  ways  save  a  few,  but  the  Cross  is 
the  way  by  which  all  may  be  saved  who 
will. 

That  is  why  Paul  said,  "Far  be  it  from 
me  to  glory,  save  in  the  cross  of  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,"  and  that  is  what  we  sing  in 
the  hymn,  "In  the  cross  of  Christ  I  glory." 

God  saved  Noah  from  drowning  by  the 
ark,  but  by  the  cross  of  Christ  he  saves  us 
from  our  sins. 

Christ  must  have  loved  us  very  much  to 
die  on  the  cross  to  save  us. 

How  are  we  saved  by  the  cross?  By  ac- 
cepting Jesus  as  our  Saviour  and  loving  and 
following  him. 

If  we  are  saved  ourselves,  we  should  try 
56 


The  Junior  Parish 

to  save  others  by  telling  them  about  the 
cross. 

We  should  also  send  the  story  of  the  cross 
and  of  Jesus  all  over  the  earth,  in  order  that 
many  people  in  distant  lands  may  be  saved 
by  our  Saviour. 


57 


KINDNESS  TO  ANIMALS 

Blessed  are  the  merciful. — Matthew  5 :  7. 

The  Rabbis,  in  the  time  of  Christ,  dis- 
puted as  to  which  was  the  greatest  com- 
mandment, and  they  once  came  to  our  Sav- 
iour to  get  his  opinion  about  it. 

But  they  agreed  as  to  which  was  the  least 
commandment.  It  was  the  law  of  the  bird's 
nest,  which  we  find  in  Deuteronomy  22 :  6,  7, 
which  protected  the  mother  bird. 

God  must  love  the  birds  to  put  a  law  into 
the  Bible  that  men  shall  not  hurt  them. 
We  remember  that  Jesus  said  that  not  a 
sparrow  falls  to  the  ground  without  your 
Father. 

We  should  never  hurt  or  harm  the  birds 
or  the  cats  or  the  dogs  which  God  has  made. 
A  man  who  cruelly  beats  his  horse  is  as 
58 


The  Junior  Parish 

wicked  as  Balaam  was  who  was  cruel  to  the 
beast  he  rode. 

A  man  named  Thoreau  once  lived  in  the 
woods  near  Concord,  Massachusetts.  At 
first  the  squirrels  and  birds  and  other  ani- 
mals were  afraid  of  him,  but  when  they 
found  that  he  was  their  friend,  they  came 
closer  and  closer  to  him,  and  after  a  time 
they  came  to  him  when  he  called.  The 
squirrels  would  hide  in  his  pockets  and  the 
birds  would  perch  on  his  shoulders.  A 
wood-mouse  that  lived  under  his  house  would 
run  up  his  sleeve,  and  sit  on  the  table  and 
eat  dinner  with  him.  I  don't  think  we  would 
like  that  kind  of  a  companion  at  dinner, 
would  we  ? 

It  is  cruel  to  leave  a  horse  tied  in  the  heat 
of  the  burning  sun,  or  in  a  cold  wind  or 
storm.  It  is  cruel  to  go  away  from  home 
on  a  vacation  and  leave  the  cat  to  starve.  I 
saw  a  boy  pulling  his  dog  around  by  the 
59 


The  Junior  Parish 

tail.  I  guess  he  thought  it  was  the  dog's 
handle,  but  he  was  not  merciful. 

Perhaps  you  have  read  of  Florence  Night- 
ingale, the  famous  and  much-beloved  nurse 
of  the  soldiers  in  the  Crimean  War.  It  was 
a  dog  that  first  turned  her  thoughts  to  nurs- 
ing. Her  father  had  a  shepherd  dog,  named 
Cap,  who  hurt  his  leg.  The  men  thought  it 
was  broken  and  were  about  to  put  him  out  of 
the  way.  But  Florence  took  poor  Cap  and 
bandaged  his  leg,  just  as  she  had  been  ac- 
customed to  bandage  her  dolls,  and  soon,  to 
her  great  delight,  Cap  was  frisking  about  as 
usual.  The  fame  of  her  kindness  spread 
abroad,  and  many  animals  were  brought  to 
her  to  be  nursed.  Then  she  began  to  care 
for  sick  people,  and  when  the  war  broke  out 
she  went  to  care  for  the  wounded. 

God  made  all  creatures,  even  the  flies  and 
snakes  and  mosquitoes  and  spiders.  We 
may  have  to  kill  some  of  them,  but  it  is  wrong 
60 


The  Junior  Parish 

to  be  cruel  to  them.  Never  torment  them. 
They  have  feelings,  and  can  suffer  pain  as 
we  do.  It  is  very  nice  for  boys  and  girls  to 
have  pet  animals  and  to  love  them.  What 
an  affectionate  and  faithful  friend  is  a  dog! 
I  have  more  respect  for  a  good  dog  than  I 
have  for  a  bad  man. 


61 


KEEPING  PROMISES 

Better  is  it  that  thou  shouldest  not  vow,  than  that 
thou  shouldest  vow  and  not  pay. — Ecclesiastes  5:  5. 

"O  Grandpa,"  said  Kenneth,  "see  how 
white  the  apple  trees  are  with  blossoms." 

"Yes,"  replied  grandpa,  "if  the  tree  keeps 
its  promises,  there  will  be  plenty  of  apples: 
but  if  it  is  like  some  boys  I  know,  there  may 
not  be  any." 

"What  do  you  mean  by  keeping  its  prom- 
ises?" asked  Kenneth. 

"Why,"  returned  grandpa,  "blossoms  are 
the  tree's  promises,  just  as  the  promises  boys 
make  are  blossoms.  Sometimes  the  frost 
nips  these  blossoms,  both  on  the  tree  and  in 
the  boy." 

"I  see,"  Kenneth  remarked:  "then  you 
think  that  when  I  promise  to  be  a  better  boy 
62 


The  Junior  Parish 

I  am  only  in  blossom.  But  I'll  show  you 
that  the  frost  can't  nip  my  blossoms." 

We  should  be  very  careful  to  keep  our 
promises. 

If  we  agree  to  do  a  thing  and  then  fail  to 
do  it  we  have  acted  a  lie.  A  person  who  is 
careless  about  keeping  promises  will  soon 
lose  the  confidence  of  people.  They  will 
say,  "You  can't  depend  on  him."  As  our 
text  says,  it  is  better  not  to  make  promises 
than  to  make  them  and  break  them. 

Jesus  tells  of  a  young  man  who  broke  his 
word.  His  father  said,  "Son,  go  work  to- 
day in  the  vineyard.  And  he  answered  and 
said,  I  go,  sir,  and  went  not."  That  was 
the  same  as  telling  a  lie. 

Some  people  seem  to  think  that  they  ex- 
cuse themselves  by  saying,  "I  forgot."  But 
that  is  no  excuse.  Their  promise  to  do  it 
was  a  promise  to  remember  to  do  it.  If 
they  forget  they  should  apologize  and  ask 
63 


The  Junior  Parish 

pardon.  It  is  not  honorable  to  break  our 
word  with  people,  and  they  do  not  respect 
us  if  we  have  that  habit. 

If  any  of  the  juniors  have  taken  the  tem- 
perance pledge,  let  them  be  conscientious 
about  keeping  it.  If  any  of  them  have 
joined  the  church,  let  them  keep  in  mind  their 
covenant  with  God  and  the  Church,  and  be 
faithful.  It  is  very  wicked  to  do  as  some 
Christians  do,  enter  into  covenant  with 
Christ  and  the  Church  to  be  faithful,  and 
then  neglect  Church  duties. 

The  Bible  says,  "He  is  faithful  that  prom- 
ised." That  means  God.  Every  promise 
that  God  makes  is  faithfully  kept.  He  is 
never  careless,  he  never  forgets.  And  when 
we  become  Christians  we  make  promises  to 
Christ.  We  pledge  ourselves  to  follow  him, 
to  obey,  to  love  and  serve  him.  And  he 
promises  to  k  and  to  keep  and  to  save  us. 
He  will  keep  his  promise:  let  us  keep  ours. 
64 


DOING  ONE  THING 

One  thing  I  do. — Philippians  3: 13. 

There  is  an  old  saying,  "Boys  will  be 
boys."  There  is  another  which  I  like  better, 
Boys  will  be  men.  Also,  Girls  will  be 
women.  In  a  few  years  you  juniors  will 
take  the  places  of  the  fathers  and  mothers 
of  to-day.  What  kind  of  men  and  women 
do  you  intend  to  be? 

I  hope  that  in  some  respects  you  will  be 
like  the  apostle  Paul.  He  tells  us  much 
about  himself,  and  in  our  text  he  gives  us  one 
secret  of  his  success.  There  are  three  sides 
to  this  secret,  like  the  sides  of  a  triangle. 

One  side  is  that  Paul  had  a  purpose  in 
life.  He  pressed  toward  a  mark.  His  pur- 
pose was  to  reach  that  mark  and  win  the 
prize,  like  a  runner  in  a  race.  Some  men  do 
not  press  toward  any  mark.  They  just  float 
65 


The  Junior  Parish 

about  and  drift,  like  logs  on  the  ocean.  I 
would  counsel  young  people  to  decide  early 
in  life  what  they  will  try  to  be.  Have  a 
purpose,  and  let  it  be  to  live  a  good  life. 
You  may  become  rich  or  you  may  be  poor. 
Perhaps  a  great  deal  of  sorrow  will  come,  or 
the  skies  may  be  bright.  Success  may  come, 
or  failure  of  plans.  But  whatever  happens, 
say  this,  "I  will  try,  with  God's  help,  to 
please  him.     This  one  thing  I  will  do." 

The  next  side  to  Paul's  secret  is  that  he 
did  not  try  to  do  many  things.  Some  men 
are  always  looking  for  a  job.  The  old  say- 
ing is  true  of  them,  "A  jack  of  all  trades  and 
master  of  none." 

One  day  in  England  a  young  man  was  rid- 
ing on  a  coach  beside  the  driver,  who  seemed 
to  be  a  silent  man.  But  the  youth  asked 
many  questions.  They  passed  a  country 
mansion,  when  the  passenger  asked  who 
lived  there.  "I  don't  know,"  said  the  driver. 
66 


The  Junior  Parish 

"How  much  is  land  worth  by  the  acre  about 
here?"  inquired  the  young  man.  "I  don't 
know."  At  last  the  youth  in  desperation 
asked,  "What  do  you  know?"  The  driver 
guided  his  spirited  horses  around  a  danger- 
ous corner,  and  replied,  "I  know  how  to 
drive."  That  was  his  business.  Charles 
Dickens  once  said,  "Whatever  I  have  tried 
to  do  in  life  I  have  tried  to  do  well." 

And  the  third  side  of  Paul's  secret  is  in- 
dustry. "But  one  thing  I  do."  He  had 
no  time  for  idling.  So  Jesus  said,  "Wist  ye 
not  that  I  must  be  about  my  Father's  busi- 
ness?" 

Successful  people  are  people  who  work 
hard.  As  a  rule  they  are  happy  people. 
There  is  an  old  saying  that  "Satan  finds 
some  mischief  still  for  idle  hands  to  do." 
But  though  idleness  is  a  sin  to  which  Satan 
tempts  us,  he  is  never  guilty  of  it  himself. 
In  this  one  virtue  of  industry  he  sets  us  a 
good  example. 

67 


KEEPING  THE  HEART 

Keep  thy  heart  with  all  diligence; 
For  out  of  it  are  the  issues  of  life. 

— Proverbs  4:  23. 

I  often  look  at  the  boys  and  girls  and 
wonder  what  they  are  learning  to  love. 

There  is  an  old  legend  of  the  far  North 
about  seven  brothers.  They  had  the  power 
of  taking  their  hearts  out  and  laying  them 
aside  while  they  slept.  For  a  while  all  went 
well,  until  one  night  an  enemy  crept  up 
and  seized  their  hearts,  and  as  he  ran  away 
with  them  the  brothers  died.  Don't  let  the 
enemy  steal  your  hearts. 

Our  text  says  that  there  is  a  reason  why 
we  should  keep  our  heart  with  all  diligence 
— "for  out  of  it  are  the  issues  of  life."  That 
means  that  our  life  will  be  like  what  we  love. 
If  we  love  good  tilings  our  life  will  be  good. 
68 


The  Junior  Parish 

Sometimes  we  see  people  doing  evil. 
What  is  the  matter  with  them?  Their 
hearts. 

One  day  a  boy  was  washing  the  windows 
of  a  store.  He  rubbed  and  rubbed  at  one 
spot,  but  with  all  his  rubbing  he  could  not 
make  it  clean.  All  at  once  he  made  a  dis- 
covery, and  called  out  to  the  man  in  the  store, 
who  was  watching  him,  "It  is  on  the  inside." 
Ah,  there  is  the  trouble.  We  do  wrong  be- 
cause our  hearts  are  wrong.  We  need  clean 
hearts. 

The  Bible  is  a  queer  book.  Here  in  our 
text  it  counsels  us  to  keep  our  hearts,  and 
yet  in  other  places  it  urges  us  to  give  our 
hearts  to  God.  Isn't  that  strange?  How 
can  we  keep  our  hearts  and  give  them  away 
too?  Well,  the  only  way  in  which  to  keep 
our  hearts  is  by  giving  them  away. 

It  is  like  this.  You  have  a  large  sum  of 
money.  You  wish  to  keep  it  safe.  If  you 
69 


The  Junior  Parish 

hide  it  somewhere  in  the  house  a  thief  may 
find  it.  If  you  carry  it  about  with  you  a 
pickpocket  may  get  it.  What  do  you  do? 
You  can  take  it  to  the  bank  and  hand  it  to 
the  man  behind  the  wires.  You  keep  it  by 
giving  it  away.  You  keep  it  by  letting  the 
bank  keep  it  for  you. 

Thieves  do  not  break  through  and  steal 
from  God's  house.  He  says,  "Give  me  thy 
heart,"  and  then  he  keeps  it^safe.  It  is  still 
your  heart. 

God  only  can  keep  our  hearts.  If  we  do 
not  give  him  our  hearts  we  do  not  give 
him  anything.  As  the  Bible  says,  we  may 
give  all  our  goods  to  feed  the  poor,  and  even 
give  our  bodies  to  be  burned,  but  without 
love  we  give  nothing.  Will  you  commit  to 
memory  the  thirteenth  chapter  of  First  Cor- 
inthians, and  often  repeat  it  to  yourself  ? 


70 


THE  CLOTHES  WHICH  WE 
WEAR    TO  CHURCH 

Blessed  is  he  that  watcheth,  and  keepeth  his  gar- 
ments . — Revelation  16:15. 

A  father  once  said  to  his  daughter, 
"Mary,  dear,  do  you  remember  the  text  this 
morning?" 

"No,  father*  I  never  can  remember  the 
text:  I  have  such  a  bad  memory." 

By-and-by  her  sister  asked,  "Mary,  did 
you  notice  Susan  Brown  at  church  this  morn- 
ing?" 

"Oh,  yes,"  replied  Mary,  "what  a  fright! 
She  had  on  her  last  year's  hat,  done  up  in 
pea-green  silk,  a  black  lace  scarf,  brown 
boots,  an  imitation  Honiton  collar,  a  lava 
bracelet,  her  old  sash,  and  such  a  fan — oh, 
my!" 

Mary  had  gone  to  church  to  look  at 
71 


The  Junior  Parish 

clothes,  and  had  filled  her  silly  head  with 
thoughts  of  what  her  friends  wore.  I  fear 
that  many  people  are  like  Mary. 

The  Bible  tells  us  what  kind  of  clothing 
God  loves  to  see  in  church. 

There  is  the  garment  of  praise.  Isaiah 
says  that  God  himself  gives  us  this  garment. 
It  is  very  beautiful.  It  means  thankful- 
ness to  God  for  his  goodness.  It  means 
songs  of  gratitude.  We  remember  how  kind 
our  Heavenly  Father  has  been  to  us,  and  we 
delight  to  praise  him.  A  grumbler  ought 
not  to  be  found  in  the  house  of  God.  The 
song  says,  "Let  a  little  sunshine  in."  I  wish 
that  somebody  would  write  a  song,  "Let  a 
little  sunshine  out."  Let  us  ask  God  to  give 
us  this  beautiful  garment  of  praise. 

There  is  the  robe  of  righteousness.  It  is 
God  who  puts  this  robe  on  His  children. 
"He  hath  covered  me  with  the  robe  of  right- 
eousness." People  who  worship  God  in  the 
72 


The  Junior  Parish 

church  must  be  good  outside  the  church.  If 
we  are  bad  all  the  week  how  can  God  accept 
our  praise  on  the  Sabbath  day?  Are  we 
wearing  the  robe  of  righteousness  ?  Are  we 
speaking  kind  words,  and  doing  good  deeds, 
and  living  right  lives  on  Monday  and  Tues- 
day?    The  old  hymn  says, 

"Jesus,  thy  blood  and  righteousness 
My  beauty  are,  my  heavenly  dress." 

Christ  makes  us  like  himself  when  we  love 
and  follow  him.  He  clothes  us  with  the  robe 
of  his  own  righteousness. 

There  are  the  garments  of  salvation. 
"He  hath  clothed  me  with  the  garments  of 
salvation."  A  traveler  tells  us  that  out  in 
India  he  saw  a  man  sitting  on  the  step  of  the 
temple  with  his  right  hand  held  up  straight 
in  the  air.  For  fourteen  years  he  had  held 
up  that  arm.  "Brother,  why  do  you  hold 
your  arm  like  that?  Were  you  born  so?" 
73 


The  Junior  Parish 

"Not  so,"  he  replied.  "Once  I  did  wrong 
with  that  arm,  and  ever  since  I  have  given  it 
to  God."  Poor  man.  The  missionary  told 
him  about  Christ,  the  Saviour.  I  think  that 
the  garments  of  salvation  must  be  the  white 
robes  with  which  the  saints  in  heaven  are 
clothed,  mentioned  in  the  seventh  chapter  of 
Revelation. 


74 


A  JAPANESE  PARABLE  OF 
CONTENTMENT 

I  have  learned,  in  whatsoever  state  I  am,  therein 
to  be  content. — Philippians  4:  11. 

The  Japs  have  a  pretty  fable  to  illustrate 
contentment.  It  is  about  two  frogs.  One 
frog  lived  in  Kobe,  the  other  in  Osaka. 
Both  of  them  had  good  homes.  Their  par- 
ents were  kind  to  them,  and  they  had  nice 
green  slimy  pools  to  swim  in.  Many  flies 
buzzed  over  the  water,  so  that  they  had 
enough  to  eat,  while  the  soft  mud  at  the  bot- 
tom of  the  pool  gave  them  a  cozy  warm  bed. 
All  they  had  to  do  was  to  enjoy  life. 

But  both  frogs  became  restless  and  dissat- 
isfied. Each  one  thought  his  lot  unhappy. 
One  day  the  Osaka  frog  heard  of  a  pool  in 
Kobe  which  was  much  pleasanter  than  his 
75 


The  Junior  Parish 

own,  and  he  at  once  started  out  to  go  to 
Kobe. 

It  happened  that  the  Kobe  frog  at  the 
same  time  heard  that  in  Osaka  there  was  a 
puddle  which  was  larger  and  sunnier  than 
any  in  Kobe,  with  more  delicious  flies  and 
softer  mud.     So  off  he  started  for  Osaka. 

Halfway  between  these  two  cities  there  is 
a  high  hill,  and  on  the  top  of  the  hill  lives  a 
wise  old  toad.  One  day  this  old  fellow  was 
sunning  himself  in  front  of  his  bungalow 
when,  looking  down  the  road  toward  Osaka, 
he  espied  a  weary  frog  toiling  up  the  hill. 
And  soon  after,  on  looking  the  other  way 
toward  Kobe,  he  saw  another  frog  climbing 
the  hill  and  coming  toward  him. 

The  Osaka  frog  reached  the  top  first,  and 
at  once  exclaimed,  "Oh,  how  lovely  is  Kobe! 
Beautiful  city,  I  must  hasten  on  to  thee!" 

In  a  minute  the  Kobe  frog  came  up,  and 
gazing  afar  cried  out,  "It  is  true,  all  that  I 
76 


The  Junior  Parish 

heard  of  Osaka.     How  lovely  it  looks  in  the 
distance!'' 

Then  the  old  toad  laughed  long  and  loud, 
and  said,  "Why,  you  silly  children,  you  for- 
get that  your  eyes  are  in  the  back  of  your 
heads.  You  have  both  been  looking  back 
at  your  own  homes,  and  they  look  beautiful 
and  inviting  to  you  from  this  distance." 

Then  the  frogs  were  much  ashamed,  and, 
with  many  blushes,  they  both  turned  back 
and  went  home,  and  ever  after  lived  in  con- 
tented happiness. 

Every  boy  and  girl  should  be  ambitious 
to  do  the  best  and  to  get  the  best,  and  yet 
should  not  be  dissatisfied  with  the  lot  which 
God  gives.  Contentment  does  not  mean 
lazy  indifference,  indolent  ease.  It  means 
gratitude  to  God  for  what  he  gives.  A  con- 
tented person  may  try  hard  to  press  on,  but 
he  does  not  grumble  and  he  is  not  envious. 
He  is  peaceful  and  cheerful. 
77 


LINGERING 

He  lingered. — Genesis  19:16. 

Do  you  know  any  lingering  boys  and 
girls?  Sometimes  we  call  them  loiterers. 
They  loiter  over  their  lessons.  If  they  are 
sent  on  an  errand  they  are  slow.  They  have 
three  hands — two  hands  like  other  people, 
and  always  a  little  behind-hand.  It  is  not 
likely  that  they  will  succeed  in  life.  Mer- 
chants do  not  keep  clerks  who  are  not 
prompt.  The  habit  of  delay  often  hurts  the 
reputation  of  a  young  man  among  business 
men. 

It  is  a  favorite  trick  of  Satan  to  persuade 
us  that  there  is  no  hurry  in  doing  our  duty. 
Out  in  Polynesia  the  sorcerers  have  what 
they  call  souktraps,  made  of  cocoanut  fiber 
and  rings.  If  a  man  has  an  enemy  he  goes 
to  the  sorcerer  and  hires  him  to  catch  the 
78 


The  Junior  Parish 

soul  of  that  enemy.  The  sorcerer  sets  his 
trap,  and  soon  a  butterfly  or  bird  or  some 
other  creature  is  caught.  The  soul  of  the 
enemy  is  supposed  to  be  in  this  captive,  and 
so  the  man  gets  his  revenge. 

So  Satan  has  his  soul-traps.  One  of  them 
is,  "Put  it  off,"  "Wait  till  to-morrow," 
"Linger."  He  has  caught  many  souls  in 
this  trap,  people  who  have  said,  "I  will  be  a 
Christian  some  day,  but  there  is  plenty  of 
time." 

Sometimes  people  linger  around  tempta- 
tions. Just  as  you  often  see  men  loitering 
about  a  saloon,  just  as  you  sometimes  see  a 
fly  buzzing  near  a  spider's  web,  so  silly  souls 
play  with  temptation. 

There  was  a  fine  river  near  our  village, 
with  a  big  dam  and  some  woolen  mills.  We 
used  to  go  swimming  at  a  place  called  Mos- 
quito Pool,  about  half  a  mile  above  the  dam. 
But  we  were  always  careful  to  keep  near  the 
79 


The  Junior  Parish 

pool,  because  there  was  a  strong  current 
down  lower  as  the  water  drew  toward  the 
dam.  One  day  one  of  the  fellows  swam 
down  stream  and  tried  to  see  how  near  he 
could  go  to  danger.  But  he  lingered  too 
long,  for  soon  the  current  caught  him  and 
down  he  went. 

Don't  play  with  a  bad  habit.  Don't  tarry 
among  bad  companions.  If  you  feel  any 
current  drawing  you  ever  so  gently  toward 
evil,  make  haste  to  get  away.  Lot  was  very 
fortunate  that  he  escaped  with  his  life  from 
Sodom.  His  wife  lingered  too,  and  she  was 
not  so  fortunate. 

Don't  put  off  religion  till  you  are  older. 
Begin  to  love  and  to  follow  Christ  now. 
He  needs  you  while  you  are  young,  and  the 
sooner  you  begin  to  be  his  friend  and  disciple, 
the  longer  you  will  have  the  blessing  of  his 
help  and  his  friendship. 


80 


SMALL  THINGS 

For  who  hath  despised  the  day  of  small  things? — 
Zechariah  4:  10. 

What  is  it  that  all  the  world  is  afraid  of? 
It  isn't  bears  and  lions  and  wild  elephants. 
No,  it  is  something  so  small  that  we  can't  see 
them — microbes . 

Be  afraid  of  little  sins.  They  seem  to  be 
trifles ;  but  they  are  microbes  which  play  the 
mischief  with  character.  Idle  words  appear 
to  be  small  sins,  but  Jesus  says  that  we  shall 
have  to  give  account  of  them  at  the  judg- 
ment. Does  it  seem  a  small  thing  to  cheat 
the  teacher  at  school?  Be  careful!  It  isn't 
safe  to  take  the  first  lessons  in  deception. 

Don't  despise  little  talents.     Because  you 

cannot  do  as  well  as  somebody  else,  do  not 

give  up.     Do  the  best  you  can.     Jesus  told 

the  people  that  it  was  the  man  who  had  only 

81 


The  Junior  Parish 

one  talent  who  was  unfaithful.  He  thought 
he  could  do  so  little  that  it  wasn't  worth 
while.  It  isn't  doing  great  things  that 
pleases  God,  but  being  faithful. 

Don't  overlook  what  seem  to  be  small 
blessings.  They  are  often  the  greatest. 
For  instance,  did  you  ever  think  how  we 
ought  to  thank  God  that  we  can  breathe? 
When  a  boy  has  the  croup,  or  asthma,  or 
even  a  bad  cold,  he  thinks  he  would  be  per- 
fectly happy  if  he  could  only  breathe  easily. 
Some  people  cannot  sleep  well.  They 
wrould  give  anything  they  possess  if  they 
could  only  get  the  refreshing  sleep  which  you 
juniors  get  every  night.  Did  you  ever  see 
a  crazy  man?  How  dreadful  for  a  man  to 
lose  his  mind!  One  day  a  crazy  man  es- 
caped from  the  asylum,  and  ran  up  and 
down  the  village  street,  shouting,  "Thank 
God  for  your  reason!" 

All  these  common  blessings — we  do  not 


The  Junior  Parish 

appreciate  them  until  we  lose  them.  Let 
us  thank  God  that  we  can  see  and  hear  and 
taste  and  talk.  We  may  lack  some  good 
things  that  we  would  like,  but  we  have  the 
best  things. 

I  would  like  you  to  look  in  your  Testa- 
ments and  find  the  little  things  which  Jesus 
spoke  of  and  what  he  said  about  them.  Be- 
gin with  the  little  children  whom  he  took  in 
his  arms.  Then  there  was  the  grain  of  mus- 
tard-seed. Neither  must  we  forget  the  little 
kindness,  the  cup  of  cold  water,  nor  the  small 
offering,  the  two  mites.  There  too  was  the 
small  congregation,  two  or  three  gathered 
together  in  his  name,  and  the  hairs  of  our 
head,  and  the  least  of  these  my  brethren, 
and  the  one  talent,  and  the  little  colt  on 
which  he  rode  into  Jerusalem.  Were  there 
any  other  little  things  which  seemed  great 
after  he  spoke  of  them  or  used  them?  Let 
us  think  often  of  Jesus  and  the  little  things. 
83 


FARES,  PLEASE! 

So  he  paid  the  fare  thereof. — Jonah  1 :  3. 

Jonah  was  fleeing  from  God  in  a  ship, 
and  he  paid  the  fare.  We  always  pay  the 
fare  when  we  do  wrong.  It  costs  us  some- 
thing. The  price  may  be  our  health,  it  may 
be  our  peace  of  mind,  it  may  be  our  char- 
acter. Jesus  said  a  man  might  pay  his  soul 
for  the  world. 

Sin  costs  us  more  than  it  is  worth.  We 
get  a  little  pleasure  in  exchange  for  God's 
approval. 

Benjamin  Franklin  once  bought  a  whistle 
from  a  playmate,  giving  all  the  coppers  he 
had  for  it.  He  whistled  all  over  the  house, 
until  his  brother  told  him  he  had  paid  too 
much  for  his  whistle,  laughing  at  him  until 
he  cried  for  shame.  Franklin  was  not  the 
first  nor  the  last  to  pay  too  much  for  his 
84 


The  Junior  Parish 

whistle.  When  a  boy  or  girl  gives  up  self- 
respect  and  the  respect  of  good  people,  for 
the  pleasures  of  sin,  the  price  is  too  high. 

We  pay  the  price  of  success  in  life.  That 
price  is  hard  work,  self-denial,  perseverance. 
Many  people  think  that  success  is  "good 
luck."  "Luck"  is  waiting  for  something  to 
turn  up :  labor  turns  up  something.  "Luck" 
whines;  labor  whistles.  "Luck"  relies  on 
chances ;  labor  makes  chances. 

We  cannot  become  good  scholars  except 
by  hard  study.  Somebody  asked  a  great 
violinist  how  long  it  took  to  become  a  good 
player,  and  he  replied,  "Ten  hours'  practice 
every  day  for  ten  years."  Don't  be  lazy 
and  expect  success.  Pay  the  price  in  dili- 
gence. If  we  wish  to  get  to  the  top  of  the 
ladder  we  must  climb.     There  is  no  elevator. 

If  we  wish  to  do  any  good,  we  must  pay 
the  fare.  It  will  cost  us  some  trouble,  some 
effort.  It  cost  Jesus  his  life  to  save  us. 
85 


The  Junior  Parish 

He  paid  the  price  of  our  salvation,  his  pre- 
cious blood. 

If  mother  asks  us  to  help  her,  we  may 
have  to  give  up  our  play,  and  get  tired  in 
doing  what  she  asks.  It  may  cost  us  an  ef- 
fort to  say  a  kind  word  or  to  visit  the  sick. 
Everybody  who  is  doing  good  in  the  world 
is  denying  himself  and  taking  up  a  cross. 
The  Bible  says  that  when  Jesus  healed  the 
sick,  virtue  went  out  of  him.  That  means 
that  he  gave  his  strength  and  sympathy  and 
love,  and  it  made  him  weary. 

It  costs  us  something  to  follow  Christ. 
You  remember  that  he  spoke  of  a  man  who 
thought  he  would  build  a  tower,  but  did  not 
sit  down  and  count  the  cost.  What  does  it 
cost  us  to  be  his  disciple?  One  thing  it  costs 
us  is  our  sin,  which  we  must  give  up.  Per- 
haps he  will  ask  us  to  give  up  some  pleas- 
ures and  habits.  Then  too  he  requires  our 
hearts  and  our  obedience. 
86 


The  Junior  Parish 

I  would  like  the  juniors  to  tell  me  what  it 
cost  Daniel  and  Joseph  and  Paul  to  serve 
God.  What  does  the  book  of  Hebrews  tell 
us  about  the  choice  which  Moses  made  and 
what  it  cost  him?  What  would  it  have  cost 
the  young  man  whom  Jesus  loved  to  follow 
the  Saviour? 


87 


SOME  MISTAKES  WHICH  A 
YOUNG  MAN  MADE 

He  took  his  journey  into  a  far  country,  and  there 
he  wasted  his  substance  with  riotous  living. — Luke 
15: 13. 

This  was  the  prodigal  son.  Let  us  try- 
to  count  how  many  mistakes  he  made. 

One  was  that  if  he  could  get  away  from 
home  he  would  be  happy.  Perhaps  he  was 
tired  of  the  work  on  the  farm.  He  wanted 
to  see  the  world  and  to  be  his  own  master, 
without  any  restraint  from  father  and 
mother.  But  a  good  home  is  a  great  bless- 
ing for  any  boy  or  girl.  Don't  try  to  get 
away  from  it  if  you  have  one. 

Then  he  thought  that  the  chief  end  of  life 

was  to  have  a  good  time.     His  life  was  given 

to  him  for  some  object  more  important  than 

enjoyment,  but  he  wished  to  spend  it  all  in 

88 


The  Junior  Parish 

play.  I  will  tell  you  a  secret :  the  people  in 
the  world  who  have  nothing  to  do  but  to 
try  to  enjoy  themselves  are  the  unhappiest 
beings  on  earth. 

This  young  man  not  only  thought  that 
the  great  end  of  life  was  to  have  a  good  time, 
but  he  thought  that  money  would  give  him 
this  good  time.  Nearly  everybody  makes 
this  same  mistake.  People  believe  that  if 
they  could  only  have  wealth  they  would  be 
happy.  All  the  world  is  chasing  after  dol- 
lars, and  dollars  do  not  bring  happiness. 

The  fourth  mistake  which  this  prodigal 
made  was  that  he  did  not  see  the  end  of  sin. 
He  saw  the  beginning,  and  how  pleasant  it 
looked!     But  danger  lurked  in  it. 

A  young  man  in  Maine  once  strolled  out 
into  the  woods  with  his  kodak  to  take  pic- 
tures. He  saw  a  cave  with  vines  and  flow- 
ers about  the  entrance,  and  thought  he  would 
take  a  picture  of  it.  Steadying  the  camera 
89 


The  Junior  Parish 

on  his  knee,  he  took  a  "time  exposure,"  and 
went  his  way.  Some  days  after,  on  develop- 
ing the  picture,  what  was  his  astonishment 
to  see  in  the  center  of  it,  within  the  cavern, 
the  arched  back  and  savage  face  of  a  fierce 
Canada  lynx,  ready  to  spring.  Like  a  lynx 
sin  lurks  in  the  dark,  but  we  do  not  see  it. 

Another  mistake  of  the  prodigal  was  that 
he  thought  that  his  evil  companions  would 
help  him  in  trouble.  We  read  that  though 
he  was  very  hungry,  "no  man  gave  unto 
him."  Where  were  all  the  fellows  whom  he 
had  treated  with  his  money?  They  all  de- 
serted him  when  he  was  poor  and  starving. 

But  I  think  that  the  greatest  mistake  he 
made  was  that  he  left  God  out.  He  didn't 
ask  God's  guidance  at  the  start,  and  he  did 
not  seek  God  in  trouble.  But  after  all  his 
mistakes  he  went  back  home,  confessed  his 
sin,  and  lived  a  right  life,  which  showed  that 
there  was  something  good  in  him  after  all. 
90 


A  MISSIONARY  POTATO 

Honor  Jehovah  with  thy  substance, 

And  with  the  first-fruits  of  all  thine  increase. 

— Proverbs  3 :  9. 

Mr.  Hale  was  a  rich  farmer.  He  had  a 
son,  John,  who  came  home  from  Sunday- 
school  one  day  very  much  excited  about  the 
heathen  people  who  worship  idols.  His 
teacher  had  told  him  about  them. 

"Never  you  mind  them,  John,"  said  his 
father,  "we  have  no  money  to  give  to  mis- 
sions." 

"But  they  have  no  churches,"  replied 
John,  "and  no  Bibles,  and  no  Sunday- 
schools." 

"Well,"  said  his  father,  "we  have  heathen 
enough  at  home,  and  we  can't  be  giving  away 
money  all  the  time." 

But  John  was  not  satisfied,  and  he  puz- 
91 


The  Junior  Parish 

zled  his  curly  head  with  plans  for  helping  the 
heathen. 

One  day  when  his  father  seemed  to  be  in 
good  humor  he  said,  "Pa,  if  you  are  not  able 
to  give  to  missions,  would  you  be  willing  to 
give  me  a  potato?" 

"A  potato,  John?  Why,  I'll  give  you  a 
peck  of  them,  if  you  like." 

"No,  Pa,  I  want  only  one  good  one,  with 
land  enough  to  plant  it  in,  and  all  that  it 
produces  in  four  years." 

Mr.  Hale  was  much  pleased  and  said  to 
himself,  "That  lad  will  make  a  good  farmer 
one  of  these  days." 

John  planted  his  potato,  and  the  first  year 
it  rewarded  him  by  producing  nine.  These 
he  carefully  kept  for  planting,  and  the  sec- 
ond year  he  had  a  peck.  These  became 
seven  and  a  half  bushels  the  third  season, 
and  when  the  fourth  harvest  came,  lo,  the 
one  potato  had  increased  to  seventy  bushels ! 
92 


The  Junior  Parish 

John  himself  was  surprised,  but  he  went 
up  to  town  and  told  the  store  keeper  that  he 
had  some  missionary  potatoes  to  sell. 

"That's  a  new  kind,  my  boy,  ha,  ha! 
Well,  bring  'em  over,  and  if  they're  all  right 
I'll  take  'em." 

John  got  a  good  price  for  his  potatoes, 
and  gave  the  money  to  missions,  and  his 
father  began  to  think  about  it  and  decided 
that  he  wouldn't  be  so  stingy,  but  would 
help  to  send  out  missionaries  to  other  lands. 

It  is  very  much  better  for  juniors  to  earn 
the  money  which  they  take  to  church  and 
Sunday-school  than  to  go  to  father  or 
mother  and  ask  for  a  contribution.  Prob- 
ably most  of  us  cannot  raise  potatoes,  but 
we  can  think  of  some  way  in  which  to  earn 
money,  and  we  would  take  much  pleasure  in 
giving  it,  and  it  would  be  our  gift,  and,  best 
of  all,  it  would  please  God  very  much. 


93 


REVERENCE 

Sacred  things. — I  Corinthians  9:13. 

There  are  four  holy  things  mentioned  in 
the  Bible  which  we  should  reverence. 

God's  name.  "Holy  and  reverend  is 
his  name,"  says  the  Psalmist.  I  am  sure 
that  none  of  the  juniors  would  ever  take 
God's  name  in  vain.  Nor  would  we  speak 
of  Jesus  except  with  love  and  reverence. 
That  is  a  beautiful  hymn  which  begins, 
"Jesus,  I  love  thy  charming  name." 

Holy  places.  The  church  is  holy,  God's 
house.  The  Bible  says,  "Jehovah  is  in  his 
holy  temple."  Christ  drove  some  people  out 
of  the  Temple  once,  because  they  were  not 
reverent  in  it.  Do  you  remember  what  they 
were  doing?  We  should  not  whisper  and  be 
careless  in  church.  Boys  and  men  should 
never  wear  their  hats  in  God's  house.  Then, 
94 


The  Junior  Parish 

too,  our  very  thoughts  should  be  serious  and 
reverent  during  the  service.  Do  not  look 
around  to  see  what  clothes  the  people  wear. 
Do  not  have  entertainments  and  money-mak- 
ing shows  in  the  sanctuary. 

God's  Book.  We  call  it  the  Holy  Bible. 
It  is  the  loving  message  of  God  to  us.  Some 
people  make  jokes  out  of  the  Bible.  They 
have  conundrums  about  Bible  characters 
and  things  spoken  of  in  it.  That  is  irrever- 
ent and  does  not  please  God.  Have  you  a 
Bible  at  home?  Is  there  any  dust  on  it? 
Where  do  you  keep  it?  Is  it  up  on  the 
shelf,  neglected  and  forgotten?  When  I 
see  a  Bible  worn  and  soiled  with  use  I  say, 
"Somebody  loves  that  holy  book." 

The  Sabbath  day.  It  is  God's  day.  He 
says,  "Remember  the  Sabbath  day  to  keep 
it  holy."  One  Sunday  morning  a  boy  was 
going  to  church  when  he  saw  a  man  driving 
down  the  street  on  a  heavily  loaded  wagon. 
95 


The  Junior  Parish 

He  was  doing  business  on  the  Lord's  day. 
The  boy  stopped  right  opposite  the  wagon, 
lifted  both  his  hands  in  horror,  and,  look- 
ing under  the  wheels,  exclaimed,  "There, 
there,  you  have  driven  right  over  it!" 

"Whoa,  whoa!"  cried  the  driver,  greatly 
frightened,  thinking  he  had  killed  some 
child.  Then  he  looked  under  the  wagon, 
but  seeing  nothing  he  anxiously  asked, 
"What  have  I  run  over?" 

"Over  the  fourth  commandment,"  replied 
the  boy:  "  'Remember  the  Sabbath  day  to 
keep  it  holy.'  " 

The  Sabbath  is  not  the  time  for  picnics 
and  play  and  work.  I  think  that  the  trains 
of  cars  on  our  railroads  run  over  the  fourth 
commandment  a  great  many  times.  Do  not 
think  that  because  so  many  people  go  on  ex- 
cursions, and  to  ball-games,  on  Sunday,  it  is 
right  to  do  so.  God  gives  precious  promises 
to  those  who  reverence  his  day. 
96 


HOW  THE  ICEBERG  WAS 
CONQUERED 

Overcome  evil  with  good. — Romans  12:  21. 

A  big  iceberg  came  floating  down  from 
the  North,  and  said  to  itself,  "Now  I  will  get 
in  the  way  of  some  great  steamship,  and 
when  it  runs  into  me  it  will  be  surprised." 

The  North  Wind  saw  the  berg  and  sus- 
pected what  it  was  doing,  and  said,  "I  will 
destroy  that  enemy,  so  that  the  ships  will 
be  safe."  And  the  North  Wind  blew  hard 
on  the  iceberg  for  a  long  time,  but  the  ice 
laughed  and  said,  "Try  again." 

Then  the  waves  of  the  ocean  said,  "Let  us 
try,"  and  rolled  great  billows  over  the  berg 
to  destroy  it,  but  still  it  floated  on. 

And  then  the  sunbeams  came  that  way 
and  said,  "Perhaps  we  can  do  something." 
97 


The  Junior  Parish 

Dancing  up  to  the  iceberg,  they  said,  "Come 
and  play  with  us." 

"I've  nothing  else  to  do,"  said  the  iceberg; 
"shall  we  play  hide  and  seek?" 

"Our  favorite  game,  sir,"  replied  the  sun- 
beams, and  began  to  tickle  the  ice. 

They  played  all  day,  and  the  next,  and 
for  many  days.  The  sunbeams  skived 
about  from  side  to  side,  and  the  iceberg 
rolled  and  floated  on,  and  grew  smaller  and 
smaller.  It  began  to  think  of  the  steam- 
ships, and  of  all  the  people  on  board,  and, 
as  it  grew  smaller,  it  felt  ashamed  of  its  evil 
purpose,  until  at  last  its  very  heart  was 
melted,  and  when  the  ships  came  there  was 
no  iceberg  in  their  way. 

We  can  conquer  our  enemies  by  kindness. 
Angry  words  are  like  the  cold  wind  from  the 
north;  they  only  make  matters  worse.  "A 
soft  answer  turneth  away  wrath."  When 
Jesus  was  reviled  he  reviled  not  again. 
98 


The  Junior  Parish 

They  struck  him,  and  put  on  his  head  the 
crown  of  thorns,  and  crucified  him,  and  he 
said,  "Father,  forgive  them."  It  would 
seem  as  if  they  must  have  been  ashamed 
when  they  heard  him  say  that. 

When  sister  is  cross,  try  a  few  sunbeams 
on  her.  Two  boys  had  a  quarrel  in  a  ball- 
gamo.  Both  were  to  blame.  Did  you  ever 
notice  that  one  boy  never  succeeds  in  getting 
up  a  quarrel  when  alone  by  himself? 

One  boy  said,  "You'd  better  apologize  to 
me,  or  you'll  be  sorry." 

"I  won't,"  said  the  other;  "it  was  your 
fault." 

So  they  kept  on  for  a  time,  until  one  of 
them  began  to  relent,  and  said,  "Well,  it  was 
partly  my  fault,  I  know." 

"Well,"  said  the  other,  "I  suppose  I  was 
to  blame  too."     And  so  they  made  up. 

People  who  keep  good  humored,  and  hold 
their  temper,  and  keep  pleasant,  are  much 
99 


The  Junior  Parish 

happier  and  do  more  good  in  life  than  those 
who  are  surly  and  sour. 

But  we  cannot  do  this  without  God's  help. 
We  must  ask  him  to  make  us  sweet  and  kind. 
If  we  can't  keep  our  temper,  let  us  ask  God 
to  keep  it. 


100 


HOW  GOD  LOOKS  AT  PEOPLE 

Man  looketh  on  the  outward  appearance,  but  Je- 
hovah looketh  on  the  heart. — I  Samuel  16:  7. 

I  have  brought  two  vases  to  church.  I 
will  hold  them  up  so  that  you  can  see  them. 
One  is  very  beautiful,  is  it  not?  The  other 
is  quite  homely.  We  would  rather  have  the 
first,  every  one  of  us. 

Ah,  there  seems  to  be  something  in  this 
beautiful  vase!  What  is  it?  I  will  take  it 
out.  It  is  a  piece  of  stone,  dirty  and  worth- 
less. How  could  it  have  gotten  into  such  a 
lovely  vase  ? 

Is  there  anything  in  the  ugly  vase?  Sure 
enough!  Well,  well,  it  is  a  twenty-dollar 
gold-piece!  I  think  that  we  would  rather 
have  the  homely  vase,  after  all. 

Some  persons  who  look  beautiful  are  not 
worth  so  much  as  others  who  are  not  attrac- 
101 


The  Junior  Parish 

tive.  A  pure  heart  within  is  better  than  fine 
clothing  and  a  pretty  face  without.  God 
looks  at  our  characters.  Showy  people  are 
not  often  the  best. 

One  day  a  boy  was  sprinkling  the  lawn 
with  a  hose.  An  old  lady  passed  who  was 
wrinkled  and  homely.  The  boy  by  accident 
turned  the  hose  too  near  her  and  threw  water 
over  her  dress.  Very  much  mortified,  he  ex- 
claimed, "I  beg  your  pardon;  I  am  very 
sorry."  \ 

"Never  mind,"  she  answered,  "there's  no 
harm  done,  and  you  feel  worse  about  it  than 
I  do." 

"But  your  dress  is  wet:  I  thought  you 
wTould  be  very  angry." 

"Oh,  no,"  she  replied;  "better  have  a  wet 
dress  than  a  bad  temper." 

"Oh,  what  a  beauty!"  said  the  boy,  as  the 
woman  passed  on. 

"Who,  that  lady?"  said  another  boy  who 
102 


The  Junior  Parish 

was  with  him.  "If  you  call  her  a  beauty 
you  can't  choose  for  me.  Why,  she  is  old, 
and  her  face  is  wrinkled." 

"I  don't  care  if  her  face  is  wrinkled,"  re- 
plied the  other,  "her  soul  is  handsome,  any- 
how." 

When  our  text  says  that  God  looks  on  the 
heart,  it  means  that  he  sees  what  we  think 
and  feel  and  love. 

Our  fellow-men  see  only  our  conduct,  but 
C  jd  sees  our  motives  and  purposes. 

If  we  mean  to  do  well  he  sees  our  desire, 
though  we  may  not  carry  it  out  very  well. 

If  we  look  devout  in  church  the  people 
think  we  are  good:  if  our  hearts  are  singing 
and  praying  with  our  lips,  God  knows  it  and 
is  pleased. 

We  should  not  be  satisfied  with  the  praise 
of  people,  but  should  seek  the  approval  of 
God.     You  remember  who  said,  "Blessed 
are  the  pure  in  heart." 
103 


JESUS,  SAVIOUR 

The  Saviour  of  the  world. — John  4:42. 

There  are  many  names  by  which  Jesus 
is  called — Friend,  Shepherd,  Advocate, 
Prince  of  Peace,  Rose  of  Sharon,  High 
Priest,  Redeemer,  and  many  others.  But 
his  sweetest  name  is  Saviour.  That  is  the 
name  by  which  the  angels  called  him:  "For 
there  is  born  to  you  this  day  in  the  city  of 
David  a  Saviour,  who  is  Christ  the  Lord." 

He  is  our  Saviour  because  he  saves  us 
from  our  sins. 

The  missionaries  go  to  the  heathen  to  tell 
them  about  this  Saviour.  They  have  to  find 
a  word  in  the  heathen  language  which  means 
Saviour.  We  read  in  Belle  Brain's  "Mis- 
sionary Stories"  how  hard  it  is  sometimes  to 
find  such  a  word. 

Mr.  Hotchkiss  went  to  Africa  to  tell  the 
104 


The  Junior  Parish 

people  about  Jesus.  For  two  years  and  a 
half  he  tried  to  find  the  word  which  would 
mean  Saviour  to  them.  He  talked  with 
them  many  hours,  hoping  that  they  would 
speak  of  something  being  saved.  One  even- 
ing he  was  sitting  about  the  blazing  camp- 
fire,  and  the  natives  were  telling  him  what 
they  had  been  doing  that  day. 

One  of  them,  named  Kikuvi,  began  to  tell 
how  he  and  his  master  had  been  out  in  the 
bush,  when  the  master  was  attacked  by  a 
lion.  Kikuvi  had  rushed  to  his  assistance 
and  dragged  him  away  from  the  fierce  beast. 

Mr.  Hotchkiss  listened  in  great  excite- 
ment. Surely  the  word  was  coming!  But 
Kikuvi  went  through  the  whole  story,  telling 
how  he  had  frightened  away  the  lion,  with- 
out speaking  the  one  word  which  his  listener 
wished  to  hear.  Then,  at  the  very  end, 
when  Mr.  Hotchkiss  was  in  despair,  Kikuvi 
modestly  said,  "Bwana  nukuthaniwa  na  Ki- 
105 


The  Junior  Parish 

kuvi"  (the  master  was  saved  by  Kikuvi). 
Mr.  Hotchkiss  could  have  leaped  up  for  joy, 
but  to  make  sure  he  asked,  "Ukuthania 
Bwana?"  (you  saved  the  master?)  This 
was  correct,  and  Mr.  Hotchkiss  said,  "Why, 
Kikuvi,  this  is  the  word  which  I  have  tried 
to  have  you  tell  me  these  many  days,  because 
I  wanted  to  tell  you  that  Jesus  came — " 

"Oh,  yes,"  cried  Kikuvi,  "I  see  it  now,  I 
understand.  Jesus  came  to  kuthania  (save) 
us." 

Mr.  Hotchkiss  rushed  out  and  fell  on  his 
knees  in  thanksgiving  to  God.  He  could 
now  frame  the  word  Muthania,  which  means 
Saviour,  and  on  the  next  day,  being  the  Sab- 
bath, he  told  the  natives  about  their  Mutha- 
nia, Saviour.  He  said  that  he  never  before 
had  known  what  a  precious  word  it  was. 
And  what  a  joy  it  was  to  him  to  be  able  to 
tell  its  full  meaning  to  these  people  of 
Africa! 

106 


The  Junior  Parish 

How  grateful  should  we  be  that  we  have 
a  Saviour,  and  that  he  came  to  save  us  from 
our  sins.  We  must  accept  him,  and  love 
him,  and  follow  him.  Our  text  says,  "The 
Saviour  of  the  world."  Every  one  of  us 
can  say  those  words,  but  how  many  can  say, 
"Mij  Saviour"? 


107 


TWO  IRON  SAFES 

Woe  unto  you  when  all  men  shall  speak  well  of 
you. — Luke  6:26. 

This  is  a  queer  text,  isn't  it?  We 
thought  that  we  should  so  live  that  people 
would  speak  well  of  us.  A  good  reputation 
is  a  rich  possession,  and  should  we  not  be 
careful  to  win  it  and  to  deserve  it? 

And  still,  when  we  think  of  it,  Jesus  was 
the  best  man  that  ever  lived.  He  never  did 
wrong,  and  yet  he  did  not  have  a  good  repu- 
tation with  some  people,  and  many  spoke  ill 
of  him. 

Two  burglars  one  night  broke  into  a  store 
in  London.  They  put  some  dynamite  un- 
der the  great  iron  safe,  feeling  sure  that, 
although  it  would  be  difficult  to  force  it 
open,  their  efforts  would  be  rewarded  at 
last.  But  when  they  had  broken  into  the 
108 


The  Junior  Parish 

safe  they  found  to  their  surprise  another 
safe  inside  the  first  one,  stronger  and  more 
difficult  to  open,  and  they  gave  up  and  went 
away. 

The  outside  safe  is  Reputation,  and  the 
inner  safe  is  Character.  Men  may  be  able 
to  harm  our  reputation,  but  it  is  in  the  inner 
safe  of  character  that  our  treasure  lies. 
Reputation  is  what  people  say  of  us ;  Char- 
acter is  what  we  are.  A  person  may  have  a 
beautiful  reputation,  and  yet  be  very  bad 
within.  Or  he  may  be  blamed  by  many 
tongues,  and  still  be  pure  in  heart. 

But  what  did  Jesus  mean  by  saying  that 
something  is  wrong  about  us  when  every- 
body praises  us?  And  what  does  his  beati- 
tude mean,  "Blessed  are  ye  when  men  shall 
revile  you"? 

Suppose  that  Daniel  had  so  lived  that  all 
the  people  in  Babylon  had  spoken  well  of 
him.  What  would  he  have  done?  He 
109 


The  Junior  Parish 

would  have  drunk  strong  drink  with  them, 
and  fallen  down  before  their  image  and  wor- 
shiped it,  and  stopped  praying  to  God. 

Suppose  that  Peter  and  John  had  thought 
most  of  their  reputation,  and  had  obeyed  the 
council,  and  stopped  speaking  in  the  name  of 
Jesus.  They  would  have  won  the  praise  of 
Jerusalem,  but  what  would  have  become  of 
their  character  ? 

We  should  desire  the  good  opinion  of  good 
people,  and  we  should  strive  to  win  a  good 
name. 

But  we  should  not  do  wrong  in  order  to 
get  praise. 

And  Jesus  says  that  if  everybody  speaks 
well  of  us  it  is  a  sign  that  we  haven't  done 
our  duty. 

One  part  of  our  duty  is  to  fight  the  evil 
that  is  about  us,  and  when  we  do  that  bad 
men  will  revile  us. 

Sometimes  we  must  let  our  reputation 
110 


The  Junior  Parish 

take  care  of  itself  in  order  to  keep  our  char- 
acter. 

Don't  be  afraid  of  evil  tongues  when  you 
are  doing  right.  I  hope  that  when  you 
grow  older  you  will  take  an  active  part  in 
battling  against  evil  things  and  evil  men. 


Ill 


TAKING  OUT  THE  SQUEAK 

The  sin  which  doth  so  easily  beset  us. — Hebrews 
12:1. 

A  friend  tells  us  about  a  new  pair  of 
boots  which  he  had  when  he  was  a  boy. 
They  were  a  great  mortification  to  him 
wherever  he  went.  They  announced  his  ap- 
proach like  a  brass  band.  Squeakity-squeak 
they  went  at  school,  and  when  he  marched 
down  the  aisle  at  church  everybody  turned 
to  look  at  him.  But  after  some  weeks  they 
made  less  music,  and  later  the  squeak  disap- 
peared. Where  had  it  gone?  He  never 
knew.  He  did  not  see  it  go,  and  he  did  not 
try  to  find  it. 

There  are  some  people,  young  and  old, 
who  have  just  one  squeak  which  goes  with 
them  and  is  unpleasant  to  others. 

One  such  squeak  is  an  unhappy  disposi- 
112 


The  Junior  Parish 

tion.  Johnny  Grumble  always  sees  the  un- 
pleasant side  of  things.  Nothing  suits  him. 
He  finds  fault  with  his  breakfast,  his  clothes, 
his  teacher,  and  his  playmates.  When  he 
comes  look  out  for  clouds  and  rain.  How 
shall  we  get  the  squeak  out  of  him  and  make 
him  sweet  and  pleasant  and  happy? 

His  cousin,  Sam  Fretful,  has  a  bad  tem- 
per. He  gets  angry  and  says  unpleasant 
things.  When  he  is  around  we  hear  some 
wooden  swearing.  He  slams  the  doors,  and 
stamps  on  the  floor,  and  I  have  seen  him  kick 
the  chairs.  If  it  wasn't  for  this  one  fault  he 
would  be  a  very  nice  fellow,  for  he  is  affec- 
tionate and  generous  and  kind  by  nature. 
I  wish  that  in  some  way  we  could  help  him 
control  his  temper. 

Then  there  is  Susan  Slytongue.     If  she 

doesn't  tell  lies  she  tells  some  wonderfully 

big  truths  sometimes.     We  never  feel  quite 

sure  that  what  she  says  is  exactly  so.     Her 

113 


The  Junior  Parish 

teachers  tell  me  that  they  do  not  dare  to 
trust  her.  I  am  afraid  that  her  boots  will 
squeak  louder  as  she  grows  older,  unless  we 
can  find  some  way  to  make  her  truthful. 

I  saw  her  on  the  street  yesterday  with 
Mary  Vane.  Mary  is  a  lovely  girl  in  almost 
every  way.  She  is  kind  and  sweet  tempered, 
and  learns  her  lessons,  and  thinks  everything 
of  her  mother  and  her  home.  But  I  wish 
that  she  did  not  think  quite  so  much  about 
her  good  looks,  and  stand  before  the  mirror 
so  long,  and  toss  her  head  so  much.  Well, 
perhaps  she  will  get  over  it  as  she  grows 
older,  for  she  is  a  good  girl  at  heart. 

Isn't  it  a  pity  that  one  little  squeak  in  a 
person  almost  spoils  him?  He  has  ever  so 
many  good  qualities,  but  the  one  bad  one  is 
like  the  drop  of  ink  on  a  white  cloth. 

I  wonder  if  the  Bible  means  something 
like  this  when  it  speaks  of  the  easily  beset- 
ting sin.    What  is  yours  ? 
11* 


The  Junior  Parish 

You  needn't  tell  me,  and  I  won't  tell  you 
what  my  favorite  fault  is;  but  just  after  the 
Bible  speaks  of  this  easily  besetting  sin,  it 
says,  "Looking  unto  Jesus."  I  think  that 
he  will  help  us  to  lay  it  aside  if  we  ask  him. 


115 


A  GOOD  GUIDE 

Jehovah  will  guide  thee  continually. — Isaiah  58:  11. 

If  you  go  to  Switzerland  among  the 
mountains  you  will  meet  many  guides. 
They  are  sturdy,  brave  men,  and  they  lead 
travelers  over  the  icy  passes. 

One  of  their  beautiful  customs  is  a  solemn 
service  called  "blessing  the  ropes."  In 
climbing  with  tourists  they  use  strong  ropes 
to  tie  the  party  together,  so  that  if  one  slips 
or  falls  he  may  be  held  by  the  rest. 

Just  before  the  season  opens  they  bring 
their  ropes  and  lay  them  at  the  foot  of  some 
mountain.  Old  ropes  and  new  ones  are 
piled  in  a  heap,  and  then  the  priest  or  pas- 
tor prays  that  the  ropes  may  not  break  and 
that  the  guides  and  all  who  go  with  them 
may  be  kept  in  safety. 

Our  guide  is  God  and  the  ropes  which 
116 


The  Junior  Parish 

hold  us  to  him  are  such  as  faith  and  hope  and 
obedience  and  love.  They  are  good  strong 
ropes,  and  we  should  pray  that  they  may 
bear  every  strain.  You  remember  that 
Jesus  once  prayed  for  Peter  that  his  faith 
might  not  fail. 

Why  do  we  need  a  guide?  Because  we 
do  not  know  the  way.  We  have  to  decide 
important  questions  and  we  need  God  to 
give  us  wisdom.  By-and-by  you  boys  and 
girls  will  be  asking,  "What  shall  I  do  in 
life?"  You  may  seek  guidance  of  God,  for 
he  promises  to  give  wisdom  to  them  that 
ask. 

But  we  must  not  go  to  God  for  direction 
and  then  refuse  to  follow  him.  When  he 
shows  us  the  way  we  must  not  say,  "I  don't 
like  it;  I  will  go  some  other  path." 

If  God  is  to  guide  us  continually  we  must 
fully  trust  him.  This  is  one  of  the  things  on 
which  the  mountain  guides  always  insist. 
117 


The  Junior  Parish 

If  a  traveler  will  not  trust  and  follow,  the 
guides  will  not  go  with  him. 

Once  a  traveler  hesitated  to  put  his  foot 
on  the  hand  of  a  guide  who  asked  him  to  step 
out  on  it  over  a  precipice  in  rounding  a  dan- 
gerous turn.  But  the  guide  reassured  him, 
saying,  "This  hand  never  lost  a  life."  How 
much  more  confidently  can  it  be  said  of 
God's  hand  stretched  out  to  help  us  that  it 
never  lost  a  life ! 

Our  text  is  a  promise  to  those  who  love 
and  obey  God.  If  we  take  our  way  into  our 
own  keeping,  and  never  seek  wisdom  from 
God,  he  will  let  us  alone. 

A  guide  in  the  Alps  occasionally  loses  the 
way.  This  could  never  happen  to  God,  who 
sees  the  end  from  the  beginning. 

Guides   in   the   mountains    are   friendly 
enough,   but   they  guide   us   because  they 
want  our  money.     God  loves  us,  and  he  de- 
sires to  guide  us  for  our  highest  good. 
118 


SINGS-AS-HE-WALKS 

Make  His  praise  glorious. — Psalm  66:2. 

Some  years  ago  there  lived  in  North  Da- 
kota a  little  Indian  lad  who  had  a  happy 
heart.  He  toddled  about  the  prairie  sing- 
ing merrily  to  himself  and  the  birds.  In 
the  morning  and  evening  his  childish  voice 
could  be  heard  caroling  the  weird  melodies 
which  are  so  loved  by  the  wild  children  of 
the  plains.  His  mother  heard  him  with  de- 
light, and  after  the  Indian  fashion  gave  him 
a  name  which  described  his  habit.  She 
called  him  "Sings-as-he-walks." 

It  sometimes  seems  as  if  it  were  easier  for 
happy  people  to  become  Christians  than  for 
the  morose,  perhaps  because  it  is  natural  for 
Christians  to  be  happy.  Anyway,  Sings- 
as-he-walks  gave  his  heart  to  Jesus,  and  now 
he  is  a  preacher,  and  travels  over  the  Dakota 
119 


The  Junior  Parish 

prairie,  telling  his  people  about  his  Saviour 
and  singing  gospel  songs. 

I  think  that  his  mother  gave  him  a  good 
name.  It  is  a  good  name  for  every  follower 
of  Jesus. 

Always  think  of  a  Christian  as  having  a 
happy  life.  Jesus  does  not  invite  us  to  a 
gloomy  time,  but  he  puts  joy  into  our  hearts. 
There  are  some  things  which  he  asks  us  to 
give  up,  but  they  are  the  things  which  harm 
us,  and  he  gives  us  better  things  in  their 
place.  One  of  his  gifts  is  his  friendship. 
A  friend  of  Jesus  is  happy  in  this  friendship. 
Then  there  is  great  satisfaction  in  working 
for  the  Saviour  and  with  him.  When  he 
says  to  us,  "Well  done,"  he  makes  us  glad. 
If  you  wish  to  live  a  happy  life,  follow  this 
Saviour. 

If  you  are  trying  to  follow  him,  be  a 
happy  Christian.  That  is  one  of  the  best 
ways  of  making  your  companions  wish  to 
120 


The  Junior  Parish 

be  his  followers.  If  they  see  that  you  are 
glad  and  joyous,  they  will  wish  to  have  the 
friendship  of  your  Saviour. 

This  does  not  mean  that  you  will  never 
have  any  troubles.  It  does  not  mean  that 
you  will  never  feel  bad  and  never  cry.  We 
can't  help  f eeling  our  sorrows,  and  the  Chris- 
tian has  his  trials  like  other  people.  But 
did  you  ever  notice  how  bright  and  cheery 
the  flowers  and  trees  look  after  a  summer 
shower?  They  are  all  covered  with  tears, 
but  the  tears  sparkle  in  the  sun.  So  we  may 
be  happy  in  Jesus  even  in  our  troubles.  Re- 
member this  Indian  lad.  He  set  us  a  good 
example.  I  hope  we  have  caught  some  of 
his  happy  spirit  to-day,  for  not  only  bad 
things  like  measles  and  melancholy  are 
catching,  but  also  good  things  like  cheerful- 
ness and  praise. 


121 


A  GOOD  TEMPERANCE  PLEDGE 

Neither  be  partaker  of  other  men's  sins. — I  Tim- 
othy  5:22. 

We  seem  to  have  sins  enough  of  our  own 
to  take  care  of,  but  here  we  learn  that  we 
may  also  have  a  share  in  the  sins  of  other 
people.     How  can  this  be  ? 

One  way  by  which  we  may  be  responsible 
for  our  neighbors'  sins  is  in  helping  them  to 
commit  those  sins,  or  even  in  not  doing  what 
we  may  to  prevent  them  from  doing  wrong. 

I  do  not  think  it  likely  that  any  of  you 
juniors  need  to  be  warned  against  going  into 
the  saloons  to  drink.  But  I  do  wish  to  warn 
you  against  being  in  any  way  partners  in  the 
sins  of  the  men  who  keep  saloons,  and  of 
their  patrons,  because  many  good  people, 
who  never  drink  strong  liquor,  are  partakers 
122 


The  Junior  Parish 

in  the  sins  of  the  liquor  traffic.  They  be- 
come partakers  in  this  wickedness  by  voting 
to  license  the  saloons,  and  thus  their  influ- 
ence is  in  favor  of  this  great  evil. 

Now  there  is  one  argument  which  men 
who  wish  to  be  partakers  in  other  men's  sins 
always  bring  up.  I  wish  you  juniors  at  the 
very  beginning  of  life  to  see  the  falseness 
of  this  argument,  and  to  resolve  never  to  be 
deceived  by  it,  because  it  is  so  plausible,  it 
sounds  so  true,  that  it  leads  many  people 
astray. 

This  argument  is  that  as  some  evil  is  sure 
to  exist,  the  best  way  for  good  people  is  to 
fall  in  with  it  and  to  try  to  make  it  as  little 
harmful  as  possible.  This  is  Satan's  own 
plea. 

He  says:     "The  liquor  business  can  never 
be  stopped;  the  saloon  is  sure  to  exist.     The 
best  way  is  to  tolerate  it  and  try  to  prevent 
its  doing  much  harm." 
123 


The  Junior  Parish 

Now,  young  people,  settle  it  right  here 
and  now  that  it  is  never  right  to  tolerate  any 
wickedness  because  it  is  sure  to  succeed. 
Whether  we  can  conquer  any  evil  or  not,  our 
only  right  course  is  to  fight  it  to  the  end.  If 
we  come  to  terms  with  it,  and  try  to  regulate 
it,  we  are  partners  with  it,  and  God  will  hold 
us  responsible.  If  it  must  exist,  let  it  exist 
without  our  consent  and  against  our  will. 
This  applies  to  many  evils  beside  the  liquor 
business. 

And  now  for  our  pledge.  By-and-by  you 
will  be  voters.  You  boys  and  girls  will  have 
to  take  some  stand  on  this  very  important 
question  of  the  traffic  which  curses  our  land. 
I  will  first  repeat  the  pledge,  so  that  you 
may  know  what  I  propose,  and  then,  if  you 
are  ready  to  take  it,  we  will  repeat  it  to- 
gether: 


1U 


The  Junior  Parish 

Men  may  have  strong  drink,  and  men  may  sell  liquor, 
but 
NOT  BY  MY  VOTE. 
Homes  may  be  wrecked,  and  hearts  broken  by  in- 
temperance, but 
NOT  BY  MY  VOTE. 
The  saloons  may  bribe  the  city  with  blood  money,  and 
may    fill    the    jails    and    almshouses    and 
insane  asylums  with  its  victims,  but 
NOT  BY  MY  VOTE. 


1&5 


RICH  PEOPLE 

True  riches. — Luke   16:11. 

This  would  seem  to  mean  that  there  are 
some  riches  which  are  not  true.  We  would 
all  like  to  be  rich,  but  we  would  not  like  to 
discover  that,  after  all,  our  possessions  are 
worthless.     What  are  true  riches? 

I  think  that  a  boy  or  girl  who  has  a  good 
home  is  truly  rich.  It  need  not  be  elegant, 
and  it  need  not  be  a  large  mansion.  But  if 
there  is  love  in  it,  and  kindness  and  peace,  it 
is  a  happy  home,  and  those  who  dwell  in  it 
are  rich.  It  is  all  the  richer  if  Christ  is  in  it, 
if  there  is  prayer,  and  if  God's  Word  is  read 
and  his  praises  sung. 

I  think  that  any  one  who  has  a  grateful, 
contented  spirit  is  rich.  Perhaps  he  has  not 
much  money,  perhaps  he  is  trying  to  get 
126 


The  Junior  Parish 

more.  But  he  is  thankful  for  all  his  bless- 
ings, and  he  does  not  make  himself  miser- 
able because  he  lacks  some  things.  It  is 
what  we  have  within  us,  not  what  we  have 
without,  which  makes  us  happy  or  sad. 

Any  one  is  rich  who  has  something  to  give 
away.  If  he  has  money  to  give  because  he 
denies  himself,  giving  up  tilings  that  he 
might  have  if  he  chose  to  spend  the  money 
for  them,  he  can  do  good  with  it,  and  the 
more  he  has  to  give  the  richer  he  becomes. 
Perhaps  some  of  you  juniors  may  have  only 
a  smile  to  give,  or  a  kind  word,  or  sympathy 
or  love.  Christ  had  no  money  to  give,  and 
Peter  and  John  said  that  they  had  no  silver 
and  gold  for  the  lame  man,  but  there  is  some- 
thing which  people  need  more  than  money. 
Let  us  get  rich  by  giving. 

Everybody  is  rich  who  has  something  laid 
up.  It  is  an  excellent  plan  for  boys  and  girls 
to  save  money  as  they  go  and  to  put  it  in  the 

\n 


The  Junior  Parish 

bank.  Even  if  it  is  only  a  small  amount 
each  year,  the  habit  of  saving  is  formed,  and 
they  learn  the  value  of  money  and  how  to  use 
it. 

And  then  we  can  be  laying  up  treasure  as 
we  go  along  by  a  good  life.  By  being  good, 
and  by  doing  good,  we  accumulate  riches 
which  we  can  enjoy  and  also  at  the  same  time 
keep.  We  see  many  people  running  after 
riches  which  they  do  not  enjoy  even  after 
they  get  them.  They  are  like  that  little 
three-year-old  boy  whom  Benjamin  Frank- 
lin saw  when  visiting  a  friend.  Some  apples 
stood  in  a  dish  on  the  table.  The  boy  eyed 
them  wistfully  and  Franklin  gave  him  one. 
Still  he  looked  longingly  at  the  fruit,  and 
Franklin  gave  him  another  apple.  An 
apple  in  each  hand,  still  he  wanted  more,  and 
Franklin  gave  him  yet  another,  but  it  was 
too  much  for  him.  He  tried  to  grasp  his 
three  prizes,  and  they  all  rolled  on  the  floor. 
128 


The  Junior  Parish 

"There,"  said  Franklin,  "is  a  poor  little  man 
with  more  wealth  than  he  can  enjoy." 

But  when  the  riches  we  are  getting  and 
laying  up  are  the  forgiveness  of  God,  love 
for  him  and  for  all  that  is  good  and  pure, 
we  will  be  made  really  happy  by  our  riches. 
"Lay  up  for  yourselves  treasure  in  heaven." 


129 


FRIENDS  AFTER  A  FIGHT 

Forgiving  each  other,  if  any  man  have  a  complaint 
against  any. — Colossians  3:13. 

It  is  much  better,  of  course,  not  to  have  a 
quarrel.  Every  time  we  quarrel  we  lose. 
We  lose  if  we  win,  and  we  lose  if  we  are 
beaten.  We  lose  because  evil  passions  get 
into  our  hearts  and  our  character  is  injured. 

But  everybody  has  a  quarrel  some  time, 
and  what  shall  we  do  after  it  is  over  to  heal 
the  wound  ? 

Two  dogs,  a  Newfoundland  and  a  mastiff, 
once  had  a  fierce  fight.  They  fought  on  a 
bridge,  and  being  blind  with  rage,  over  they 
fell  into  the  water. 

The  banks  were  so  high  that  they  had  to 
swim  some  distance  before  they  found  a  land- 
ing-place. It  was  easy  for  the  Newfound- 
land dog,  for  he  was  at  home  in  the  water. 
130 


The  Junior  Parish 

Not  so  with  poor  Bruce.     He  struggled  and 
tried  hard  to  swim,  but  made  little  headway. 

Old  Bravo,  the  Newfoundland,  had 
reached  the  land,  and  he  turned  to  look  at  his 
enemy.  He  saw  plainly  that  his  strength 
was  failing  and  that  he  would  drown.  So 
what  did  he  do  but  plunge  in,  seize  him  by  the 
collar,  and,  keeping  his  nose  above  water, 
tow  him  safe  to  port! 

The  two  dogs  looked  at  each  other  as  they 
shook  their  dripping  coats,  and  seemed  to 
say,  "We  will  never  quarrel  any  more." 

It  is  hard  to  forgive,  isn't  it?  We  usually 
feel  that  we  have  been  in  the  right,  and  angry 
passions  linger  in  our  hearts.  Perhaps  we 
say  to  ourselves  that  we  will  never  speak  to 
our  enemy  again,  and  that  we  will  get  even 
with  him.     But  old  Bravo's  way  is  the  best. 

The  first  thing  we  have  to  do  is  to  forgive. 
The  Bible  tells  us  that  we  must  forgive 
others  if  we  expect  God  to  forgive  us. 
131 


The  Junior  Parish 

As  we  come  to  church  this  morning  do  we 
think  of  any  boys  or  girls  with  whom  we 
have  a  quarrel,  any  whom  we  need  to  for- 
give? Perhaps  it  was  their  fault,  and  they 
need  our  forgiveness.  And  now  we  join  in 
the  Lord's  Prayer.  We  pray,  "Forgive  us 
our  trespasses  as  we  forgive  them  that  tres- 
pass against  us."  And  God  says,  "Have 
you  forgiven  that  person?"  And  we  reply, 
"I  won't — I  can't."  Then  he  answers, 
"Neither  will  your  Father  which  is  in  heaven 
forgive  your  trespasses." 

Then  we  must  forget  the  wrongs  we  have 
received.  Perhaps  we  cannot  help  remem- 
bering the  fact  that  we  were  wronged,  but  we 
may,  with  God's  help,  stop  thinking  about 
it  and  try  to  cherish  kind  feelings  toward  our 
enemy.  A  good  way  is  to  pray  for  him. 
We  do  not  long  feel  bitter  toward  persons 
for  whom  we  pray. 


132 


THE  BIRTHDAY  BOX 

A  time  to  be  born. — Ecclesiastes  3 :  2. 

Why  do  we  bring  our  offering  on  the 
Sunday  after  our  birthday  and  put  it  in  the 
missionary  box? 

It  is  something  like  the  thank  offeiing 
which  the  old  Hebrews  used  to  bring  to  the 
sanctuary,  as  we  read  in  the  Bible.  It 
means  that  we  are  glad  that  we  were  born. 

Birthdays  remind  us  that  time  flies. 
They  are  like  our  clocks,  which  strike  one, 
two,  three  and  so  on.  How  quickly  the  days 
go  by!  And  we  cannot  use  them  after  they 
are  gone.  They  are  like  the  water  which 
flows  through  the  mill  course  and  is  gone 
forever.  "The  mill  will  never  grind  with 
the  water  that  is  past."  And  so  the  Bible 
speaks  of  "redeeming  the  time."  It  is 
133 


The  Junior  Parish 

precious,  and  we  must  use  it  wisely  and  well 
while  it  is  ours. 

Birthdays  remind  us  that  God  is  good. 
Mr.  Wells  tells  us,  in  one  of  his  Sunday- 
school  papers,  about  the  Thanksgiving  angel 
who  came  to  Jack.  She  first  touched  him 
on  the  eye,  and  Jack  cried,  "Oh,  ho,  I  see! 
I  have  one  thing  to  be  thankful  for,  my  eyes 
and  the  light."  Then  she  touched  his  feet, 
and  he  remembered  what  fun  he  had  in 
jumping  and  kicking  football.  And  she 
touched  his  hands  and  his  lips  and  his  ears, 
until  Jack  became  very  grateful  in  think- 
ing of  his  blessings.  When  we  put  our  pen- 
nies in  the  box,  one  for  each  year,  let  us  re- 
call all  the  goodness  of  God  to  us  through  the 
past  year. 

Birthdays  look  forward  as  well  as  back- 
ward. They  speak  to  us  of  the  years  that 
are  coming.  How  are  we  going  to  use 
them?  Shall  we  make  them  better  than  last 
134 


The  Junior  Parish 

year?  If  we  have  been  doing  poorly  shall 
we  do  well  in  future  ?  We  have  all  heard  the 
story  of  the  boy  who  drove  the  nails  in  the 
board,  and  then  drew  them  out,  and  the  holes 
were  left  which  he  could  not  change,  even  as 
he  could  not  change  his  past  sins.  But  the 
year  before  us  may  be  likened  to  a  clean, 
white  sheet  of  paper  on  which  we  may  write 
a  new  record.  With  the  help  of  God  we 
may  make  that  record  good. 

Do  you  remember  what  Jesus  said  to 
Nicodemus  about  being  born?  It  was  a 
queer  expression,  wasn't  it — "Ye  must  be 
born  again."  Strange,  that  having  been 
born  once,  we  should  need  to  be  born  over. 
When  Jesus  explained  what  he  meant,  Nico- 
demus saw  that  he  must  have  a  new  heart. 

General  Howard  said  that  he  was  born  in 

the  State  of  Maine,  and  that  he  was  born 

again   down  in   Florida.     He  lived  many 

years  without  serving  Jesus,  and  then  one 

135 


The  Junior  Parish 

day  when  he  was  a  soldier  he  gave  his  heart 
to  his  Saviour,  and  that  day  was  his  Chris- 
tian birthday.  I  hope  that  all  of  us  will  have 
this  other  birthday,  this  new  one,  the  day  in 
which  we  begin  to  love  and  follow  Christ. 


136 


THE  CEDAR-TREES 

He  shall  grow  like  a  cedar  in  Lebanon. — Psalm 
92: 12. 

I  have  a  friend  who  is  acquainted  with 
trees.  He  knows  them  all,  calls  them  by- 
name and  loves  them.  He  says  that  the 
cedar-tree  grows  everywhere  in  the  world. 
There  are  many  varieties,  but  some  kind  is 
found  in  every  land. 

In  this  respect  righteous  people  are  like 
cedar-trees;  they  are  found  in  all  countries. 
If  a  young  man  comes  to  a  city  to  work,  he 
can  find  good  companions,  for  there  are 
clean,  worthy  fellows  even  in  the  small 
villages.  If  a  girl  goes  away  to  school,  she 
may  associate  with  good  girls  in  the  school, 
and  make  her  new  friendships  with  girls  who 
will  make  her  better.  I  am  glad  that  we  can 
find  good  people  wherever  we  go. 
137 


The  Junior  Parish 

The  cedar  of  Mount  Lebanon  is  a  mighty 
tree,  tall  and  strong.  It  has  great  roots  and 
stands  firm.  I  like  a  boy  or  girl  who  can- 
not be  blown  over  and  uprooted  by  every 
wind,  like  the  English  lad  who  stood  up 
against  the  Duke  of  Wellington.  The  lad 
had  been  sent  by  the  farmer  for  whom  he 
worked  to  prevent  a  party  of  huntsmen  from 
riding  over  the  farm.  The  leader  of  the 
huntsmen  rode  up  and  ordered  the  boy  to 
open  the  gate.  When  he  refused  to  do  so 
the  man  said,  "Do  you  know  wTho  I  am?  I 
am  the  Duke  of  Wellington,  and  I  am  ac- 
customed to  be  obeyed." 

The  lad  lifted  his  cap  and  replied,  "I  am 
sure  that  the  Duke  of  Wellington  would  not 
wish  me  to  disobey  the  orders  of  my  em- 
ployer, who  told  me  not  to  allow  anybody  to 
pass." 

The  Duke  looked  at  the  boy  a  moment, 
and  then  said,  "I  honor  the  man  or  boy  who 
138 


The  Junior  Parish 

is  faithful  to  his  duty,"  and  handed  a 
sovereign  to  the  lad  who  had  done  what  Na- 
poleon could  not  do. 

Cedar-trees  are  useful.  We  read  how 
Hiram  sent  many  cedars  to  Solomon  to  be 
used  in  building  ships  and  in  furnishing  the 
Temple  at  Jerusalem.  Your  lead  pencil  is 
probably  made  of  cedar  wood,  as  well  as 
many  other  useful  articles.  We  do  not  see 
how  any  one  can  be  righteous  unless  he  is 
useful  in  the  world.  Even  if  a  person  has 
millions  of  dollars  he  has  no  right  to  do  noth- 
ing but  enjoy  himself.  Here  is  a  fine  verse 
which  Canon  Farrar  wrote : 

I   am   only   one, 

But  I   am  one. 
I   cannot   do   everything, 
But  I  can  do  something. 

What  I  can  do 

I  ought  to  do, 
And  what  I  ought  to  do 
By  the  grace  of  God  I  will  do. 
139 


The  Junior  Parish 

Cedar-trees  live  long.  There  were  some 
near  the  temple  of  Diana  at  Ephesus  said  to 
have  been  four  hundred  years  old,  and  others 
at  the  temple  of  Apollo,  at  Utica,  are  re- 
ported to  have  reached  the  age  of  one  thou- 
sand years.  But  one  thousand  years  are  but 
a  moment  in  the  life  of  the  righteous,  who 
will  live  with  God  forever. 


140 


WHAT  THE  BIBLE  SAYS 
ABOUT  RAIN 

Thou,  O  God,  didst  send  a  plentiful  rain. — Psalm 
68:9. 

God  sends  the  rain.  Another  verse  says 
of  him,  "Who  covereth  the  heavens  with 
clouds,  who  prepareth  rain  for  the  earth." 
Jesus,  you  remember,  said  that  God  sends 
rain  on  the  just  and  on  the  unjust.  This  is 
what  we  would  expect,  because  he  made  the 
rain  and  the  earth.  Up  back  of  our  city  is 
a  big  reservoir  where  water  is  stored.  The 
men  who  made  the  reservoir  and  gathered 
the  rain  in  it  know  how  to  bring  the  water 
down  into  our  town  and  our  houses.  Surely 
God  is  as  knowing  and  as  skillful  as  men,  and 
if  he  made  that  great  reservoir  in  the  sky  he 
can  open  it  at  any  moment  and  let  the  water 
flow  down  upon  his  earth. 
141 


The  Junior  Parish 

Once  God  sent  an  awful  rain  on  the  earth. 
It  drowned  all  the  people  except  how  many  ? 
And  who  were  they?  And  why  did  God  let 
them  escape?  And  what  did  he  give  as  a 
sign  that  he  would  never  send  another  deluge 
to  drown  the  wicked  world? 

The  Bible  teaches  us  that  we  may  pray 
for  rain.  Elijah,  for  instance,  prayed  first 
that  it  might  not  rain,  and  then  that  the  rain 
might  come,  and  his  prayers  were  answered. 
You  remember  the  girl  who  took  her  um- 
brella to  church  on  the  pleasant  Sunday. 
The  minister  was  to  pray  for  rain  after  a 
long  drought,  and  she  had  faith;  she  ex- 
pected that  God  would  hear  the  minister's 
prayer  and  send  the  showers.  When  we 
pray  for  blessings  we  should  expect  to  re- 
ceive them,  and  not  be  surprised  when  they 
come.  Do  you  remember  some  people  in 
the  Bible  who  held  a  prayer-meeting  to  pray 
for  something,  and  God  granted  it  before 
142 


The  Junior  Parish 

the  prayer-meeting  was  done,  and  they  could 
not  believe  their  eyes?  Look  somewhere  in 
the  book  of  Acts  for  the  story. 

What  does  the  Bible  mean  by  saying  that 
Christ  shall  come  down  like  showers  upon 
the  mown  grass?  Does  it  mean  that  he  will 
come  to  make  everything  new  and  fresh  and 
glad—that  he  will  make  things  grow  ?  Does 
it  mean  that  he  will  come  to  all  alike,  the 
just  and  the  unjust?  Does  it  mean  that 
even  as  the  rain  falls  on  China  and  Africa 
and  the  isles  of  the  sea,  so  Jesus  is  the 
Saviour  of  all  people  in  every  land? 

Jesus  tells  us  about  one  man  who  was  very 
sorry  to  see  the  rain  descending.  You  re- 
member about  him.  He  had  been  building 
a  new  house,  perhaps  a  pretty  house  and 
comfortable.  But  there  was  something  the 
matter,  for  when  the  rain  descended  and  the 
floods  came  his  house  fell.  What  was  the 
mistake  which  he  had  made?  Not  far  away 
143 


The  Junior  Parish 

another  man  had  also  built  a  house,  and  it  did 
not  fall.  What  was  the  difference?  And 
what  does  it  mean  to  us? 

Now  this  is  a  rainy  Sunday.  When  we 
read  our  Bibles  this  afternoon  let  us  take  a 
Concordance  and  try  to  find  some  more 
things  that  the  Word  of  God  says  about  the 
rain. 


144 


SHALL  I  BE  A  MISSIONARY? 

Go  ye  into  all  the  world,  and  preach  the  gospel  to 
the  whole  creation. — Mark  16:  15. 

There  are  some  fortunate  boys  and  girls 
who  will  have  the  privilege  of  being  mission- 
aries. I  hope  that  some  of  you  will  be 
among  their  number. 

As  you  grow  older,  think  of  this  call  of 
God,  and  ask  whether  it  means  you.  Read 
about  the  missionaries,  and  become  inter- 
ested in  their  work.  Consider  your  talents, 
and  see  whether  you  are  fitted  for  this  work. 
It  may  be  that  you  can  go  as  a  teacher  in 
some  missionary  school.  Perhaps  some  boy 
will  wish  to  be  a  doctor,  and  to  go  out  as  a 
medical  missionary.  Or  it  may  be  that  you 
boys  will  feel  that  you  can  go  to  preach  the 
gospel.  Missionaries  have  to  know  how  to 
do  a  great  many  things — build  houses  and 
145 


The  Junior  Parish 

boats  and  bridges  often,  translate  books  and 
print  them,  and  show  the  natives  how  to  be 
clean  and  live  right.  And  all  the  time  they 
are  curing  their  diseases  and  teaching  them 
useful  things,  they  are  trying  to  tell  them 
about  God  and  his  son  Jesus. 

The  missionary  work  gives  you  an  op- 
portunity to  use  your  life  for  a  very  noble 
purpose.  If  you  wish  to  be  of  use  in  the 
world,  and  to  do  the  most  good,  what  can 
you  do  that  will  give  greater  results?  You 
will  be  doing  the  very  work  which  Christ 
himself  did  when  on  earth,  and  you  will  feel 
that  your  life  is  bearing  fruit  like  his. 

The  missionary's  life  is  the  happiest. 
When  did  you  ever  see  a  gloomy  missionary? 
They  do  give  up  much,  they  do  have  hard- 
ship, but  they  have  more  joy  than  any  other 
class  of  people.  It  is  the  joy  of  doing  good. 
Somehow  they  are  better  satisfied  with  life 
than  other  people.  It  is  true  that  we  may 
146 


The  Junior  Parish 

have  sweet  satisfactions  in  working  at  home, 
but  we  are  sure  of  rich  rewards  in  obeying 
this  command  of  Christ  in  our  text. 

Think  of  how  much  these  people  in  pagan 
lands  need  you.  There  are  millions  and  mil- 
lions of  them  who  have  never  heard  of  your 
Saviour,  who  do  not  know  that  he  died  for 
them  and  that  they  may  be  saved  by  him.  If 
you  were  one  of  them  would  you  not  be  glad 
to  have  some  one  come  and  tell  you  the  story 
of  Jesus  and  his  love?  They  are  like  people 
on  a  sinking  ship,  and  you  have  the  life-line 
to  throw  out. 

Now  it  is  not  everybody's  privilege  to  be 
a  missionary,  but  as  you  go  on  I  ask  you  to 
keep  this  in  mind,  and  ask  God  to  tell  you 
what  he  would  have  you  do.  Perhaps  he 
means  to  confer  on  you  this  great  honor  of 
being  his  witness  in  the  dark  places  of  the 
earth.  If  he  intends  to  give  you  this  bless- 
ing, you  would  not  like  to  miss  it. 
147 


WHY  HAMAN  WAS  UNHAPPY 

Yet  all  this  availeth  me  nothing,  so  long  as  I  see 
Mordecai  the  Jew  sitting  at  the  king's  gate. — Esther 
5:  13. 

This  was  Haman.  He  was  very  pros- 
perous. He  had  wealth  and  children  and 
great  favor  with  the  king.  But  he  said  that 
all  his  blessings  were  no  good  to  him  be- 
cause he  saw  another  man,  Mordecai,  in  a 
position  of  power.  That  seems  very 
strange.  I  imagine  that  when  Haman  was 
a  little  boy  he  was  never  satisfied  with  his 
own  playthings,  but  made  himself  miserable 
because  other  boys  had  playthings  too. 
When  he  grew  older  he  could  not  be  happy 
if  he  saw  other  young  men  happy. 

Do  you  know  any  discontented  people 
who,  instead  of  being  thankful  for  what  they 
have,  are  looking  at  what  other  people  have  ? 
148 


The  Junior  Parish 

It  may  be  that  they  are  envious  because  they 
cannot  do  what  others  do;  they  haven't  the 
talent.  You  remember  the  fable  of  the 
frog  who  heard  the  bobolink  sing,  and  went 
off  and  sulked  in  a  bog  because  he  could  only 
croak. 

Envy  makes  us  not  only  unhappy  but  un- 
lovely. Our  faces  begin  to  look  sour,  and 
we  grow  disagreeable.  People  avoid  us,  and 
we  wonder  what  has  become  of  all  our 
friends. 

Envy  makes  us  ungrateful.  God  decides 
what  to  give  us  and  what  to  give  others. 
We  find  fault  with  him  when  we  envy  our 
neighbor,  and  are  not  grateful  for  what  we 
receive.  Suppose  we  were  to  be  glad  when 
we  see  others  having  good  gifts  from  God. 
How  many  happy  hours  we  might  have,  for 
we  could  look  about  and  see  so  many  bless- 
ings, and  be  glad  that  others  have  them,  even 
if  they  are  denied  to  us. 
149 


The  Junior  Parish 

Perhaps  the  worst  part  of  Hainan's  envy 
was  that  it  moved  him  to  try  to  have 
Mordecai  hanged.  Envy  puts  temptation 
in  our  way. 

There  was  a  young  man  who  worked  in  a 
store.  He  saw  other  clerks  riding  motor- 
cycles and  envied  them  their  good  fortune. 
Finally  he  stole  the  money  from  his  employ- 
er's drawer  with  which  to  buy  a  motorcycle. 
Many  people  who  wish  to  live  in  fine  houses, 
and  to  have  the  luxuries  which  they  see 
others  have,  are  tempted  to  get  money  in  dis- 
honest ways.  Envy  came  into  the  world 
very  early.  It  was  Cain's  envy  of  Abel 
which  caused  that  first  murder. 

Let  us  look  at  the  things  we  have  and  be 
thankful  for  them.  Let  us  be  glad  for  other 
people  if  they  have  some  blessings  which  we 
lack.  If  we  do  not  have  their  good  things, 
it  is  also  true  that  we  escape  their  trials. 
Above  all  let  us  keep  our  hearts  cheerful  and 
150 


The  Junior  Parish 

grateful.  It  is  said  that  envy  is  the  only  sin 
which  does  not  bring  any  pleasure  to  the  per- 
son who  practises  it. 

Did  Hainan's  envy  bring  any  happiness  to 
him  or  to  others  ?  Did  he  succeed  in  having 
Mordecai  hanged?  And  what  fate  came  to 
Haman  himself,  just  because  he  could  not  be 
contented  to  see  some  one  else  honored  and 
happy? 


151 


UP  TO  THE  BRIM 

And  they  filled  them  up  to  the  brim. — John  2 :  7. 

Why  is  the  fact  mentioned  that  they  filled 
the  water-pots  so  full?  Jesus  had  told  these 
servants  to  fill  the  vessels,  and  they  filled 
them  brimful.  This  showed  how  eager  they 
were  to  serve  Christ,  and  also  how  well  they 
could  do  their  work. 

How  high  a  per  cent,  did  you  get  in  your 
lessons  last  term?  Was  it  about  65,  or  did 
you  fill  the  vessel  to  the  brim?  When  father 
gave  you  that  work  to  do  in  the  yard  how 
thoroughly  did  you  do  it? 

"I  wish  you  would  rake  up  those  dead 
leaves  into  a  pile,"  said  Jack's  father. 

'  'Oh,  I  don't  feel  very  well,"  replied  Jack. 
"I  have  growing  pains  and  I  didn't  sleep 
well  last  night." 

"And  after  you  have  raked  them  up," 
152 


The  Junior  Parish 

went  on  his  father,  "make  a  bonfire  and 
jump  over  it." 

"Whoop!"  cried  Jack,  "where's  the  rake?" 
How  many  of  you  boys  do  your  work  as 
vigorously  and  well  as  you  play  ball?  Do 
you  see  those  two  clerks  in  the  store?  One 
of  them  does  just  enough  work  to  barely  get 
along.  He  will  avoid  doing  anything  that 
he  dares  to.  The  other  takes  pride  in  his 
work,  and  is  not  afraid  of  doing  something 
which  he  is  not  required  to  do.  He  puts  in 
the  little  extra  touches,  is  not  unwilling  to 
work  a  bit  overtime,  and  sometimes  does 
things  which  do  not  belong  to  him  to  do. 
By-and-by  he  will  be  keeping  his  own  store, 
while  the  other  boy  will  still  be  a  clerk  and 
talking  about  "hard  luck." 

Success  in  life  consists  largely  in  filling  the 

water-pot  to  the  brim.     Do  everything  you 

undertake  as  well  as  you  can  do  it.     When 

you  begin  to  work  for  some  one,  do  not  be 

153 


The  Junior  Parish 

afraid  of  doing  a  little  more  than  you  are 
compelled  to  do. 

The  same  with  the  girls.  "I  like  to  sew 
when  there  is  no  thread  in  the  machine,"  said 
Alice.  "And  why  so?"  "Because  it  runs 
so  easily."  "Yes,  and  doesn't  accomplish 
anything." 

A  great  many  people  in  the  world  are  run- 
ning their  machines  without  thread,  doing 
work  in  the  easiest  way. 

Fill  life  up  to  the.  brim  with  good  thor- 
ough service.  Don't  be  satisfied  with  any- 
thing but  your  best.  Wherever  you  are,  be 
all  there.     Don't  seek  out  the  easy  places. 

And  especially  if  you  serve  Christ,  serve 
him  as  these  servants  did  at  the  wedding. 
Don't  be  satisfied  with  being  just  enough  of 
a  Christian  to  barely  get  into  heaven. 
Don't  be  just  religious  enough  to  avoid  be- 
ing a  castaway.  Give  God  a  full  overflow- 
ing love,  a  more  than  formal  obedience,  and 
154* 


The  Junior  Parish 

a  generous,  whole-hearted  service.  Don't 
ask,  "How  worldly  can  I  be  and  still  be 
called  a  Christian?"  Love  never  looks  at 
the  clock,  never  thinks  of  a  commandment. 
Love  pours  out  the  ointment  from  the  ala- 
baster box. 


155 


SHINING  LIGHTS 

Let  your  light  shine. — Matthew  5:  16. 

In  the  coal-mines  of  Pennsylvania  the 
miners  wear  a  cap  in  the  front  of  which  is  a 
little  socket,  and  in  the  socket  a  burning 
candle.  Down  in  the  mines  it  is  dark,  and 
these  stars  of  lights  are  very  pretty,  bobbing 
about  and  showing  where  the  miners  are  at 
work. 

One  object  of  the  lights  is  to  prevent  the 
men  from  running  into  each  other.  And 
this  is  a  reason  why  we  should  let  our  lights 
shine,  as  Jesus  says.  A  blind  man  sat  at 
the  corner  of  a  street,  in  a  great  city,  with  a 
lantern  beside  him.  Some  one  asked  him 
what  a  blind  man  wanted  a  lantern  for.  He 
replied,  "So  that  no  one  may  stumble  over 


me." 


Is  any  one  stumbling  over  us  because  our 
156 


The  Junior  Parish 

light  is  not  shining?  Is  some  one  doing 
wrong  because  we  are  not  doing  right  ? 

Then  we  must  let  our  light  shine  so  that 
others  may  see  the  way.  If  you  are  setting 
a  good  example  at  school,  at  home,  other  jun- 
iors are  encouraged  to  be  like  you. 

I  lived  in  a  village  where  the  road  from 
my  house  to  the  center  of  town  ran  along 
the  side  of  a  river.  There  was  no  fence,  and 
the  bank  was  steep.  One  dark  night  I 
started  to  go  to  the  postoffice,  walking  up 
the  road.  I  had  not  gone  far  when  I  be- 
came uncertain  about  the  road,  and  feared 
that  I  would  walk  over  the  bank.  Just  then 
a  man  came  out  of  a  house  with  a  lantern  and 
walked  before  me,  swinging  his  light.  Was 
I  glad  to  follow  on?  I  felt  safe,  for  I  knew 
that  he  would  go  right.  I  see  some  of  the 
juniors  smiling.  Oh,  yes,  they  are  saying, 
"Why  didn't  you  practise  what  you  are 
preaching,  and  carry  a  light  yourself?" 
157 


The  Junior  Parish 

Well,  it  is  easier  to  preach  than  to  practise, 
isn't  it? 

Somebody  is  following  us.  If  we  are  do- 
ing wrong,  they  are  in  danger  because  of  our 
sin:  if  we  are  going  in  the  safe  path,  we  are 
saving  them. 

Do  not  fancy  that  your  little  light  is  of 
no  importance.  Its  twinkle  is  a  guide  to 
other  little  folks.  Some  time  we  shall  all 
stand  before  God  to  be  judged.  How  glad 
we  shall  be  if  some  one  has  been  guided 
aright  by  our  example!  God  will  say, 
"Why  did  you  go  in  the  right  way?"  And 
the  person  will  point  at  us  and  reply,  "I 
followed  his  light." 

And  whom  should  we  all  follow?  Jesus 
said,  "I  am  the  Light  of  the  world."  He 
let  his  light  shine,  and  he  never  went  astray. 
When  he  spoke  kind  words  and  did  kind 
deeds,  he  let  his  light  shine,  sometimes  too 
when  he  was  silent.  His  courage  was  a 
158 


The  Junior  Parish 

bright  light,  and  his  patience,  and  his  love 
to  God  and  to  men. 

Did  you  ever  see  a  torchlight  parade, 
many  men  with  glimmering  lights  marching 
through  the  dark?  What  a  beautiful  sight 
to  see  Jesus  with  his  big  light  marching 
ahead,  and  all  his  disciples  following  on  with 
their  little  lights ! 


159 


THE  MUSTARD  SEED 

A  grain  of  mustard  seed. — Matthew  13:  SI 

Let  us  think  of  some  of  the  mustard  seeds 
which  grow  into  trees. 

In  the  town  of  Elmira,  N.  Y.,  lived  Dr. 
Thomas  K.  Beecher,  who  had  a  taste  for 
mechanics.  At  one  time  he  took  charge  of 
the  town  clock,  and  felt  much  pride  in  keep- 
ing it  exactly  right.  One  morning  the  peo- 
ple rubbed  their  eyes  when  they  read  a 
notice  on  the  door  of  the  tower  which  said, 
"This  clock  is  two  seconds  late  to-day,  but 
it  will  be  on  time  to-morrow." 

Two  seconds  are  of  little  importance,  but 
Dr.  Beecher  wished  his  clock  to  tell  the  ex- 
act truth.  I  don't  think  that  such  a  man 
could  ever  be  untruthful  in  the  slightest  de- 
gree. It  is  so  easy  to  exaggerate.  John 
160 


The  Junior  Parish 

came  home  and  told  his  mother,  "I  saw  the 
circus  parade,  and  the  elephant  is  as  big  as  a 
mountain."  Emma  comes  running  in,  and 
says,  "O  mother,  it  was  too  funny  for  any- 
thing! I  thought  I  would  die  laughing!" 
These  exaggerations  are  not  very  important, 
but  when  we  begin  to  stretch  the  truth  who 
knows  where  we  will  stop  ?  That  must  have 
been  what  Jesus  meant  when  he  said,  "Let 
your  speech  be,  Yea,  yea:  Nay,  nay:  and 
whatsoever  is  more  than  these  cometh  of  the 
evil  one." 

What  kind  of  a  conscience  do  you  keep? 
A  good  conscience  is  like  the  scales  which 
will  weigh  a  pencil  mark.  A  woman 
weighed  a  piece  of  paper.  She  then  wrote 
her  name  on  it  and  weighed  it  again,  and  the 
scales  told  how  much  the  writing  weighed. 
Some  people  don't  mind  using  a  postage- 
stamp  a  second  time  if  they  can,  or  not  pay- 
ing street-car  fare  if  the  conductor  overlooks 
161 


The  Junior  Parish 

them.  They  save  five  cents,  and  spoil  their 
conscience.  Be  very  exact  and  honest  in  all 
money  dealings.  Don't  cheat  a  penny's 
worth:  you  win  a  penny  but  you  lose  your 
soul.  The  Bible  says,  "What  doth  it  profit 
a  man  to  gain  the  whole  world  and  forfeit 
his  life?"     That  means  his  soul. 

Be  very  careful  to  do  exactly  what  you 
promise  to  do.  Be  reliable.  If  you  agree 
to  meet  a  person  at  a  certain  time,  be  punc- 
tual. It  isn't  that  these  little  matters  are 
of  so  great  importance,  but  our  characters 
are  of  much  importance,  and  "trifles  make 
perfection."  A  mustard  seed  is  a  trifle,  but 
it  will  grow  into  a  tree. 

If  you  are  a  Christian,  if  you  belong  to  the 
Church,  be  very  scrupulous  in  keeping  your 
covenant  with  Christ  and  his  people.  Don't 
neglect  the  little  obligations.  Don't  begin 
to  do  little  things  which  do  not  seem  to  be 
quite  right  for  a  Christian  to  do.  They  may 
162 


The  Junior  Parish 

not  be  very  wicked,  but  did  you  ever  walk 
over  a  mountain  trail?  At  some  point  the 
trail  divides.  Only  a  slight  divergence,  just 
a  small  angle  to  the  left — what  difference 
does  it  make?  The  difference  between  life 
and  death  in  the  end.     Keep  to  the  trail! 


163 


THE  COLPORTERS 

And  the  leaves  of  the  tree  were  for  the  healing  of 
the  nations. — Revelation  22:2. 

The  Bible  has  been  likened  to  a  great 
tree,  with  its  books  as  the  branches,  its  chap- 
ters as  the  twigs,  and  its  verses  as  the  leaves. 
That  would  make  our  text  the  2d  leaf  of  the 
22d  twig  of  the  66th  branch. 

But  these  leaves  are  for  all  nations. 
Have  you  read  of  the  colporters  who  travel 
everywhere  carrying  tracts  and  books  and 
Bibles?  In  every  language  the  good  news 
of  salvation  is  published.  The  colporter 
often  has  a  horse  and  wagon,  and  he  goes  far 
away  from  the  railroads  and  from  the 
churches  to  scatter  the  leaves.  The  people 
are  glad  to  see  him  and  to  buy  the  literature 
which  he  brings.  If  they  do  not  buy  he 
often  gives  away  what  he  has. 
164 


The  Junior  Parish 

Some  years  ago  a  colporter  visited  a  fam- 
ily in  Mexico  and  left  a  Bible  with  them. 
One  of  the  children,  a  son,  read  it  and  was 
delighted,  so  that  his  father  gave  it  to  him. 
He  thought  it  was  the  only  book  of  the  kind 
in  the  world,  and  took  it  to  school  to  show  to 
his  teacher,  who  cried,  "O  wretched  boy, 
where  did  you  get  that  book?  Give  it  to 
me!"  From  that  time  the  boy  lost  his  in- 
terest in  everything,  fell  into  bad  habits,  and 
wandered  from  place  to  place  until  he  came 
to  El  Paso,  Texas.  Here,  one  day,  he  went 
into  a  hall  where  a  man  was  holding  services. 
He  stood  on  a  platform  and  read  from  a 
book.  Instantly  the  boy  recognized  the 
words  of  his  Bible,  and  walking  down  to  the 
desk  he  said  to  the  man,  "Have  the  kindness 
to  give  me  my  book.  They  took  it  away 
from  me  years  ago,  but  it  is  mine."  Then 
he  repeated  passages  from  it  to  prove  that 
it  was  his.  They  did  give  him  his  book,  and 
165 


The  Junior  Parish 

it  changed  his  life.  He  became  an  active 
Christian,  an  honored  doctor  in  the  city  of 
Mexico. 

Many  of  the  people  in  the  mountains  are 
glad  to  have  the  colporters  for  their  guests, 
at  their  tables  and  over  night.  The  visitors 
pray  with  the  families,  and  read  from  God's 
Word,  and  show  the  way  to  Jesus.  They 
are  sent  out  by  the  American  Tract  Society. 

How  thankful  we  should  be  that  we  have 
these  precious  leaves,  and  that  we  can  send 
them  to  others!  Nobody  hinders  us  from 
reading  God's  Word,  but  in  some  lands  peo- 
ple are  forbidden  to  do  so.  Not  long  since 
some  men  went  to  the  home  of  a  woman  in 
Austria  to  find  her  Bible  and  burn  it.  She 
was  making  bread  as  they  came,  and  what 
did  she  do  but  wrap  the  precious  book  up  in 
dough  and  bake  it  into  a  loaf  of  bread ! 

How  glad  we  are  that  we  live  in  a  land  and 
in  a  time  when  the  Bible  is  free  and  open  to 
166 


The  Junior  Parish 

every  one  and  when  Bibles  and  good  books 
are  so  plentiful  and  so  cheap  that  every  one 
may  have  them. 

When  you  say  your  prayers,  pray  for  the 
colporters,  that  God  may  protect  them  and 
help  them  to  do  good.  They  are  his  mes- 
sengers to  scatter  the  leaves  for  the  healing 
of  the  nations. 


167 


PRECIOUS  PROMISES 

Precious  and  exceeding  great  promises. — II  Peter 
1:4. 

These  are  the  promises  of  God.  Peter 
says  that  they  are  great  and  precious.  Per- 
haps you  can  tell  me  some  of  them. 

A  poor  widow,  living  in  Scotland,  was 
called  upon  one  day  by  a  gentleman  who  had 
heard  that  she  was  in  need.  She  said  that 
she  lacked  many  things,  and  that  she  had  a 
son  in  Australia  who  was  doing  well. 

"  But  does  he  not  help  you?  "  inquired  the 
visitor. 

"No,  not  at  all,"  was  the  reply.  "He 
writes  me  once  a  month,  but  only  sends  me 
a  little  picture  with  the  letter." 

The  gentleman  asked  to  see  the  pictures 
which  she  had  received,  and  found  each  one 
168 


The  Junior  Parish 

of  them  to  be  a  draft  for  ten  pounds,  which 
is  about  fifty  dollars  in  our  money. 

She  didn't  know  how  precious  they  were. 

So  many  of  God's  children  look  at  his 
precious  promises  as  only  pretty  pictures, 
and  do  not  use  them. 

One  great  promise  is,  "I  will  counsel  thee 
with  mine  eye  upon  thee";  another,  "Ask, 
and  it  shall  be  given  you."  Then  how  many 
promises  there  are  that  God  will  forgive  us  if 
we  confess  and  forsake  our  sins.  One  of  the 
most  precious  is  this,  "Believe  on  the  Lord 
Jesus,  and  thou  shalt  be  saved."  Keep  a 
blank  book  for  the  promises,  and  every  time 
you  find  one  write  it  down. 

There  is  one  fact  about  the  promises  of 
God  which  we  must  keep  in  mind.  Every 
promise  requires  us  to  do  something  before 
we  can  have  what  it  offers.  When  God 
says,  "I  will  counsel  thee,"  we  must  obey  his 
counsel  and  follow.  When  he  promises  to 
169 


The  Junior  Parish 

give,  it  is  on  condition  that  we  ask.  If  he  is 
to  save  us  we  must  believe  on  Christ.  We 
always  have  something  to  do  if  we  are  to  re- 
ceive what  the  promise  offers.  So  let  us 
ask  each  time,  "What  must  I  do  to  gain  this 
promise?" 

God  will  never  fail  to  fulfill  his  promises. 
He  will  not  forget  about  it,  nor  will  he 
neglect  to  do  it.  Often  he  will  give  us  far 
more  than  we  expect,  and  we  shall  say,  "I 
never  knew  that  his  promise  meant  so  much." 
He  loves  to  fill  our  cups  until  they  run  over, 
and  to  surprise  us  by  his  generous  giving. 

Then  another  fact :  God's  promises  have 
been  tried  and  found  true.  Did  you  ever 
step  out  on  thin  ice  to  see  if  it  would  bear 
you?  You  put  one  foot  slowly  and  care- 
fully forward,  and  each  moment  you  thought 
you  might  break  through.  One  day  a  boy 
was  trying  the  ice  on  a  pond  in  this  way, 
when  a  big  team  of  four  heavy  horses,  with 
170 


The  Junior  Parish 

a  long  sled  loaded  with  stone,  came  swiftly 
down  the  hill,  right  on  to  the  ice,  and  over 
without  a  crack.  That  is  the  way  with  God's 
promises.  We  need  not  step  out  on  them 
with  fear  and  trembling.  They  have  borne 
the  heaviest  weights.  Abraham  proved 
them,  and  David  put  them  to  the  test,  and 
so  did  Daniel  and  Paul  and  many  more. 
Perhaps  your  parents  have  tried  them — yes, 
I  am  glad  to  think  that  you  have  yourselves 
proved  them  true. 


171 


THE  BROKEN  JAR 

He  made  it  again. — Jeremiah  18:4. 

In  the  pottery  works  of  Palestine  they 
make  earthen  ware  to-day  very  much  as  they 
made  it  in  the  time  of  Jeremiah.  There  is 
the  potter  sitting  at  the  frame,  turning  the 
wheel  with  his  foot,  a  pitcher  of  water  by  his 
side. 

Placing  some  clay  upon  the  wheel,  he 
causes  it  to  revolve,  and  with  his  hands  he 
shapes  the  vessel,  keeping  it  moistened  with 
water.  This  potter  of  our  text  had  an  acci- 
dent. The  jar  was  injured  in  some  way  un- 
der his  hand.  Instead  of  throwing  it  away 
as  useless,  he  crushed  the  soft  clay  into  a 
lump  and  began  over.     He  made  it  again. 

Do  you  ever  have  this  same  experience? 
You  try  to  do  something  and  do  not  succeed. 
The  jar  is  marred  in  your  hand.  And  you 
172 


The  Junior  Parish 

feel  impatient  perhaps.  Your  first  impulse 
is  to  give  up,  to  throw  your  work  away.  We 
will  say  that  you  cannot  learn  a  lesson. 
Don't  throw  the  book  at  the  cat  and  go  off 
to  play.     Work  at  it  again. 

We  will  say  that  you  are  making  some- 
thing with  tools  or  with  the  needle,  and  it 
comes  out  wrong.  Patience,  try  again.  Sir 
Isaac  Newton  tried  seventeen  different 
theories  concerning  the  movements  of  the 
stars  before  he  hit  upon  the  right  one.  He 
made  his  jar  over  and  over. 

Or  is  it  a  bad  habit  that  you  are  trying  to 
change  ?  You  begin  with  good  courage,  but 
after  failing  several  times  you  exclaim,  "It's 
no  use ;  I  never  can  do  right !"  How  patient 
we  have  to  be  with  ourselves!  The  Bible 
says,  "Go  to  the  ant."  Did  you  ever  watch 
these  little  builders?  Grain  by  grain  they 
build  until  they  have  their  little  hill,  and  then 
a  man  drives  his  cart  right  through  their 
173 


The  Junior  Parish 

work,  destroying  it.  Up  and  at  it  again 
they  go  and  make  it  over.  The  men  who 
know  tell  us  that  of  all  creatures  the  ant  is 
next  to  man  in  intelligence  and  wisdom. 

Just  as  the  potter  made  the  jar  again,  so 
God  is  continually  making  people  over.  He 
does  not  throw  them  away  because  they  sin 
once  and  again,  but  takes  them  into  his  hands 
and  tries  once  more.  You  remember  that 
story  of  Abraham  Lincoln  and  the  soldier 
who  slept  at  his  post,  and  was  sentenced  to 
be  shot.  His  old  mother  went  to  the  Presi- 
dent and  with  tears  begged  him  to  spare  her 
son.  And  the  pitiful-hearted  President 
said,  "I  will  pardon  him — give  him  another 
chance." 

So  God  deals  with  us.  If  you  have 
grieved  him  many  times  by  sin,  let  him  make 
you  again.  Think  of  Peter.  He  denied 
Christ  again  and  again,  but  God  made  Peter 
over,  and  he  became  a  true  Christian.  We 
174 


The  Junior  Parish 

need  to  be  made  again  by  God,  or,  as  Christ 
says,  to  be  born  again. 

When  you  pray  to-night,  ask  God  to  make 
you  again,  to  forgive  your  sins,  and  to  give 
you  a  new  heart. 


175 


GOOD  BOOKS 

Give  heed  to  reading. — I  Timothy  4:  13. 

What  books  are  you  reading?  I  trust 
that  you  are  reading  something.  Reading  is 
as  necessary  for  the  growth  of  the  mind  as 
eating  is  for  the  health  of  the  body.  Have 
a  shelf  at  home  where  you  keep  your  books, 
and  make  for  yourself  a  library  as  you  go  on. 
You  will  find  these  books  to  be  dear  friends 
and  companions. 

Of  course  you  expect  me  to  say,  Read 
good  books.  If  you  find  yourselves  among 
bad  companions  in  a  book  run  away  from 
them,  as  you  would  from  evil  associates  at 
school. 

Boys  and  girls  who  read  find  that  they 
Have  their  own  tastes  and  preferences. 
Some  kinds  of  books  they  like.  It  is  a  good 
176 


The  Junior  Parish 

rule  to  follow  our  tastes  in  reading,  for  we 
get  good  from  good  books  which  really  inter- 
est us. 

Among  the  books  that  do  us  good  are  the 
histories.  They  give  us  information  about 
men  and  women  who  have  done  things  worth 
doing.  We  learn  from  them  the  story  of 
the  world  in  the  past.  Every  junior  should 
know  something  about  the  history  of  the 
United  States,  then  the  history  of  other 
lands.  It  is  from  history  that  we  learn  valu- 
able lessons  of  life. 

Then  books  of  biography  are  not  only  in- 
teresting but  profitable.  This  is  the  reason 
why  God  has  put  into  the  Bible  the  narra- 
tives of  the  lives  of  many  persons.  When 
we  read  the  life-story  of  some  man  like  Lin- 
coln or  Livingstone,  or  of  some  woman  like 
Frances  Willard,  it  is  like  living  with  them 
as  friends.  We  catch  their  spirit,  we  are  in- 
spired to  follow  their  example,  we  get  good 
177 


The  Junior  Parish 

thoughts,  perhaps  we  learn  from  their  mis- 
takes. 

Some  will  prefer  books  of  travel  and  ad- 
venture. These  make  us  acquainted  with 
the  countries  of  the  world  and  the  customs  of 
people.  From  such  books  as  Stanley's 
travels  in  Africa,  and  the  accounts  of  the 
Arctic  explorers,  and  others  similar  to  them, 
we  see  how  courage  and  perseverance  and 
self-control  win  the  day. 

And  there  are  many  other  kinds  of  good 
books.  Don't  waste  time  over  trash.  Per- 
haps you  like  books  of  science  or  fiction  or 
poetry.  Whatever  you  read,  do  some  think- 
ing as  you  read,  and  don't  read  too  much. 

But  the  best  book  ever  written  is  the  Bible. 
We  find  in  it  the  most  fascinating  history, 
the  most  entertaining  biography,  the  finest 
poetry,  the  wisest  common  sense,  the  most 
precious  truths.  It  is  an  excellent  guide. 
It  is  practical  and  also  very  spiritual. 
178 


The  Junior  Parish 

Read  the  Bible  every  day.  Read  it  care- 
fully. Think  of  what  it  means  as  you  read. 
Some  people  read  it  through  every  year,  each 
day  a  portion  from  the  Old  Testament  and 
a  portion  from  the  New.  A  good  plan  is  to 
have  some  set  time  for  reading  it  each  day — 
to  have  an  engagement  with  the  Bible  at  that 
hour,  and  not  to  let  anything  interfere. 


179 


THE  BOY  WHO  WAS  AFRAID 
TO  JUMP 

In  God  have  I  put  my  trust. — Psalm  56:  4. 

Two  men  were  standing  near  a  garden 
gate  one  evening  when  two  boys  came  up. 

The  man  who  lived  in  the  house  said  to 
the  other,  "Watch  the  difference  between 
these  two  boys." 

Taking  one  of  them  in  his  arms  he  stood 
him  on  the  gate-post,  and  stepping  back  a 
few  feet  he  folded  his  arms  and  called  on  the 
little  fellow  to  jump.  In  an  instant  the  boy 
sprang  toward  him  and  was  caught  in  his 
arms.  Then  turning  to  the  second  boy  he 
placed  him  on  the  post  and  told  him  to  jump. 
But  the  lad  trembled  and  hesitated  and  did 
not  move,  so  the  man  took  him  down  and  let 
him  go. 

"What  makes  such  a  difference  between 
180 


The  Junior  Parish 

these  two?"  inquired  the  friend.  The  other 
man  smiled  and  said,  "The  first  is  my  own 
boy  and  knows  me:  but  the  other  is  a 
stranger;  he  has  never  seen  me  before." 

There  was  the  difference.  The  man  was 
equally  able  and  willing  to  save  both  from 
falling,  but  the  boys  were  not  equally  ready. 
The  first  trusted  his  father,  while  the  second 
was  afraid. 

It  is  the  same  way  with  God  and  his  chil- 
dren. If  we  know  God  as  our  Father,  we 
are  not  afraid  to  trust  him;  but  if  we  are 
strangers  to  him,  we  do  not  trust,  although 
he  is  ready  to  save  us. 

Our  text  says,  "In  God  have  I  put  my 
trust."  The  Psalmist  could  say  that  be- 
cause he  knew  God  as  his  Father. 

Would  it  not  seem  strange  to  have  a  father 

and  not  to  know  him  ?     There  was  a  sailor  in 

Liverpool  who  once  took  ship  for  a  voyage  to 

Chinese  waters,  and  was  gone  from  home 

181 


The  Junior  Parish 

several  years.  He  left  his  wife  and  a  baby 
boy  at  home.  Of  course  the  little  fellow  was 
not  old  enough  to  know  his  father.  When 
the  sailor  returned  he  hastened  to  his  home. 
How  glad  his  wife  was  to  see  him !  But  the 
son,  now  a  lad  of  five  years,  was  afraid  of 
him.  And  the  father  was  grieved.  He  had 
to  win  the  little  boy's  heart  and  love  just  as 
though  he  were  not  his  own  father. 

Have  you  become  acquainted  with  your 
Heavenly  Father?  If  so,  you  will  trust 
him  with  all  your  heart. 

And  how  may  we  come  to  know  God  as 
our  Father?  Christ  tells  us  how.  The 
Bible  speaks  of  Jesus  coming  into  the  world, 
and  says,  "As  many  as  received  him,  to  them 
gave  he  the  right  to  become  children  of 
God."  Jesus  makes  us  acquainted  with  our 
Father.  He  gives  us  power  to  become  his 
children.  Let  us  give  our  hearts  to  our 
Saviour  so  that  we  may  know  God. 
182 


The  Junior  Parish 

And  then  let  us  trust  God  perfectly.  We 
may  trust  him  with  our  health  and  our  plans 
and  all  our  interests.  We  may  put  our 
whole  lives  into  his  keeping.  He  will  not 
fail  us. 

"There  hath  not  failed  one  word  of  all  his 
good  promise." 


183 


WHAT  SHALL  I  DO  WITH 
LIFE? 

What  is  your  life? — James  4-:  14. 

It  is  a  great  question.  What  is  life? 
What  is  your  life?  What  are  you  going  to 
do  with  it? 

You  are  not  yet  old  enough  to  decide  on 
your  life  occupation,  but  you  can  be  thinking 
about  the  purpose  of  life  and  can  resolve  to 
make  life  worthy  and  useful. 

An  American,  visiting  Japan,  was  one  day 
standing  on  the  pier  at  Tokyo  waiting  for  a 
steamer.  A  Japanese  coolie  was  at  work 
loading  a  vessel,  and  eyed  the  visitor  with 
curiosity.  As  he  passed  with  his  load  he 
asked,  "Come  look  and  see?"  by  which  he 
meant  to  inquire  if  he  was  a  tourist.  The 
American  shook  his  head,  and  the  next  time 
184 


The  Junior  Parish 

the  coolie  passed  he  asked,  "Spec  die  soon?" 
by  which  he  meant  to  ask  if  the  American 
was  there  for  his  health.  Receiving  a  nega- 
tive answer,  he  came  yet  a  third  time  and 
asked,  "Come  buy  cargo?"  "Yes,"  replied 
the  man,  "I  am  here  on  business." 

On  thinking  it  over  he  said  that  these  three 
questions  describe  three  classes  of  people  in 
the  world.  There  are  those  who  seem  to  be 
visiting  here,  with  nothing  to  do  but  to  have 
a  good  time.  Then  there  are  those  who 
think  mostly  of  their  health  and  bodily  wel- 
fare, with  no  very  high  aim  and  purpose. 
And  there  are  those  who  are  in  the  world  for 
business,  work. 

These  last  mean  to  be  somebody  and  to 
do  something  with  life.  They  are  not  here 
simply  to  play  and  be  amused,  and  they  are 
not  satisfied  just  to  feed  their  mouths  and 
clothe  their  bodies.  They  wish  to  get  the 
best  out  of  life  and  to  put  their  best  into  life. 
185 


The  Junior  Parish 

What  is  there  for  juniors  to  do  to  make 
life  worthy  and  good?  How  soon  can  they 
begin? 

Well,  they  have  begun  already.  How 
about  the  habits  which  you  are  forming? 
Your  habits  will  have  much  to  do  with  mak- 
ing your  life  right  or  wrong,  and  you  have 
already  begun  to  form  them.  Be  careful 
that  they  are  habits  which  you  will  wish  to 
keep  all  your  life. 

Begin  by  being  industrious.  Don't  catch 
the  lazy  habit.  If  you  think  that  you  have 
already  caught  a  little  of  the  selfish  habit,  try 
to  get  rid  of  it,  for  a  selfish  life  cannot  be  a 
noble  one.  Think  yourself  over,  and  ask 
whether  you  are  making  a  good  start.  Do 
you  get  angry  easily?  There  is  a  chance  for 
you  to  get  the  better  of  one  of  the  worst 
enemies  of  a  truly  good  life :  try  to  conquer 
your  temper. 

A  courteous  and  kind  spirit  is  a  good  be- 
186 


The  Junior  Parish 

ginning,  and  a  junior  may  have  this  spirit 
as  well  as  the  older  people. 

Think  what  kind  of  a  man  or  woman  you 
would  like  to  be,  and  ought  to  be,  and  try  to 
begin  to  be  that  kind  of  a  boy  or  girl. 

The  most  important  step  towards  a  noble 
manhood  or  womanhood  is  to  give  your  life 
into  God's  keeping.  Jesus  Christ  is  wait- 
ing to  cleanse  our  hearts  of  sin  and  to  keep 
us  from  sin  day  by  day. 

We  need  Christ  if  we  are  to  live  noble  lives. 
For  life  here  is  only  a  beginning,  and  we 
must  plan  for  the  whole  of  life  here  and 
in  another  world. 


187 


PRAYERS  THAT  ARE  HEARD 
IN  HEAVEN 

His  ears  are  open  unto  their  supplications. — I 
Peter  3:12. 

It  is  a  long  way  from  earth  to  heaven. 
We  do  not  know  of  anything  that  can  travel 
that  long  distance  except  prayers.  And 
they  can  go  there  in  a  moment.  But  not 
all  prayers.  Some  prayers  fall  right  back 
to  the  earth. 

A  girl  once  went  to  her  father  and  said, 
"Papa,  I  want  you  to  say  something  to  God 
for  me,  something  I  want  to  tell  him  very 
much.  I  have  such  a  little  voice  that  I  don't 
think  he  could  hear  it  way  up  in  heaven: 
but  you  have  a  great  big  man's  voice,  and  he 
will  be  sure  to  hear  you." 

The  father  took  the  little  girl  in  his  arms 
and  told  her  that,  even  though  God  were 
188 


The  Junior  Parish 

surrounded  by  all  his  holy  angels  singing 
sweetest  songs  of  praise,  he  would  say  to 
them,  "Hush,  stop  singing  for  a  while. 
There's  a  little  girl  way  down  on  the  earth 
who  wants  to  whisper  something  in  my  ear." 

The  little  girl  would  be  heard  because  she 
wished  to  say  something  to  God.  Some- 
times we  do  not  feel  like  saying  our  prayers, 
but  think  that  we  must.  Such  prayers  do 
not  fly  very  high.  They  are  like  the  kites 
which  go  up  a  little  way  and  then  dive  down 
to  the  ground.  But  when  we  wish  to  talk 
with  our  Heavenly  Father  we  may  be  sure 
that  his  ears  are  open  to  our  prayers. 

Thankful  prayers  always  go  to  heaven. 
Have  you  received  anything  from  God  this 
past  week?  Do  you  feel  like  thanking  him? 
We  like  to  have  people  say  "Thank  you"  to 
us,  don't  we?  So  God  feels  when  He  gives 
us  blessings.  A  prayer  like  this,  if  sincere, 
would  be  sure  to  fly  up  beyond  the  stars  to 
189 


The  Junior  ParisfT 

God's  throne  in  heaven:  "O  God,  I  thank 
thee  for  my  home,  for  father  and  mother, 
for  my  school  and  my  friends,  for  the  holy 
Bible  and  for  my  Saviour." 

When  we  tell  God  that  we  are  sorry  that 
we  did  wrong  he  hears  us,  and  then  again  if 
we  ask  him  to  forgive  us  and  to  help  us  to  do 
right.  Do  you  remember  what  the  publican 
said  to  God  in  the  Temple?  It  wasn't  a 
very  long  prayer,  was  it?  We  can  all  say 
it,  and  God  will  hear. 

Wide-awake  prayers  go  to  God.  I  am 
not  so  sure  about  sleepy  ones.  That  is  one 
reason  why  we  should  say  our  prayers  in  the 
morning,  bright  and  fresh.  Juniors  are  so 
sleepy  at  night.  Another  reason  is  that  we 
need  God's  help  for  the  day.  That  is  a 
beautiful  prayer  of  the  sailors  of  Brittany, 
"O  God,  keep  me  this  day,  for  my  boat  is 
small  and  the  ocean  is  wide." 

Prayers  which  ask  God  to  help  us  to  do 
190 


The  Junior  Parish 

our  duty,  and  to  overcome  temptation,  and 
to  be  sweet  and  obedient  and  kind,  always 
go  to  heaven.  I  am  sure  that  God  heard 
David  when  he  prayed,  "Keep  the  door  of 
my  lips."  And  what  shall  we  say  at  the  end 
of  our  prayers?     "For  Jesus'  sake." 


191 


HOW  ALEXANDER  TAMED  THE 
HORSE 

Looking  unto  Jesus. — Hebrews  12:2. 

Some  of  the  boys  would  have  enjoyed 
living  when  our  text  was  written  because 
they  had  so  many  foot-races  in  those  days. 
Paul  is  speaking  of  a  foot-race,  and  he  says 
that  the  runner  must  lay  aside  every  weight. 
So  in  the  Christian  race  we  must  lay  aside 
the  sin  that  besets  us,  looking  unto  Jesus. 

And  why  should  we  look  unto  Jesus  ? 

There  is  a  story  of  Alexander  the  Great 
when  he  was  a  young  man.  The  soldiers 
were  trying  to  tame  a  wild  horse  on  the 
plains  of  Macedonia.  One  after  another 
tried,  but  the  horse  threw  them  all.  Alex- 
ander asked  permission  to  try,  but  his 
father,  Philip,  was  afraid  that  he  would  be 
192 


The  Junior  Parish 

hurt,  and  refused  permission.  But  boys 
know  how  to  coax,  and  at  last  Philip  said, 
"Try  it,  my  boy,  but  be  very  careful." 

Alexander  went  up  to  the  horse,  which 
was  nervous  and  excited,  called  him  by  name, 
and  patted  and  soothed  him. 

Then  very  quietly  he  mounted  him  and 
turned  his  face  directly  toward  the  sun. 

He  had  noticed  that  the  men  who  had  tried 
before  rode  with  their  backs  toward  the  sun. 
This  position  threw  the  shadow  of  horse  and 
driver  in  front  of  the  spirited  animal,  and  as 
it  moved  quickly  about  it  frightened  the 
horse. 

The  men  were  surprised  to  see  that  no 
accident  happened. 

The  horse  trotted  swiftly  over  the  plain 
and  soon  returned  with  Alexander  safe  on 
his  back. 

If  we  would  subdue  our  fiery  passions  we 
must  keep  our  faces  toward  the  Sun  of 
193 


The  Junior  Parish 

Righteousness.  That  is  what  Paul  means 
by  saying,  "Looking  unto  Jesus." 

If  we  look  unto  him  we  don't  think  so 
much  about  ourselves.  Many  of  our  beset- 
ting sins  are  due  to  our  selfishness.  We 
think  too  much  about  what  we  want  or  what 
we  suffer,  too  much  about  self.  Our  shadow 
is  right  before  us  in  the  path.  It  is  behind 
us  if  we  face  toward  Jesus  and  think  of 
him. 

Then  we  look  to  him  for  help.  It  is  not 
easy  to  lay  aside  a  besetting  sin.  We  need 
a  strength  greater  than  our  own  to  do  it. 
And  Jesus  is  ready  to  help  us.  If  you  have 
tried  to  get  rid  of  some  fault,  and  are  dis- 
couraged, try  this  plan  of  looking  to  Jesus. 
Give  your  sin  to  him  and  let  him  carry  it 
away. 

Then  we  look  to  Jesus  for  encouragement. 
I  saw  some  boys  racing  the  other  day.  One 
of  them  had  an  advantage  over  the  others 
194 


The  Junior  Parish 

and  came  in  first.  Perhaps  it  wasn't  quite 
fair,  but  his  father  happened  to  be  looking 
on,  and  he  went  down  to  the  goal  and  stood 
there,  and  this  boy  in  the  race  just  fastened 
his  eyes  on  his  father  and  ran  with  all  his 
might.  It  is  always  fair  for  Jesus  to  stand 
at  the  end,  and  to  let  us  see  his  face  before 
us  as  we  press  toward  the  mark.  He  looks 
toward  us,  and  we  look  unto  him,  and  so 
we  win. 


195 


GETTING  MAD 

Be  ye  angry,  and  sin  not.     Ephesians  4 :  26. 

Is  it  not  strange  that  the  Bible  tells  us  to 
be  angry?  Well,  we  wouldn't  be  worth 
much  if  we  were  never  angry.  The  trouble 
is  we  get  angry  at  the  wrong  times.  Jesus 
was  angry  a  number  of  times,  never  because 
men  did  wrong,  never  on  his  own  account, 
but  angry  at  sin.  And  that  is  the  only  way 
to  be  angry  and  sin  not,  namely,  to  be  angry 
at  sin. 

We  ought  to  be  very  indignant  at  men 
who  tempt  other  men  with  strong  drink, 
at  people  who  lead  others  astray,  at  those 
who  harm  and  wrong  their  fellow-men. 

But  we  should  not  fly  in  a  passion  be- 
cause some  one  offends  us. 

Every  time  we  get  mad  we  hurt  ourselves. 
I  have  a  scar  on  my  hand  which  has  been 
196 


The  Junior  Parish 

there  many  years.  I  was  trying  to  split  a 
stick  which  I  held  in  my  left  hand,  and  I 
brought  the  hatchet  down  on  it  so  hard  that 
it  cut  through  the  stick  into  my  hand.  Now 
I  do  not  remember  whether  I  was  angry 
that  same  day  or  not,  but  if  I  did  lose  my 
temper  there  is  a  scar  on  my  soul  also. 

Anger  is  a  sign  of  weakness.  It  shows 
that  the  person  is  not  strong  enough  to  con- 
trol himself.  Sometimes  when  boys  see  one 
of  their  companions  in  a  great  rage,  shout- 
ing and  storming  about,  they  think  how 
strong  he  is.  No,  he  hasn't  strength  enough 
to  rule  his  spirit. 

A  young  fellow  went  to  his  father  and 
asked  him  if  he  might  take  boxing  lessons, 
so  as  to  learn  the  manly  art  of  self-defence. 
His  father  told  him  that  he  might  do  so, 
adding  that  he  himself  had  learned  the  art 
some  years  before. 

"Why,  I  did  not  know  that,"  said  the  son. 
197 


The  Junior  Parish  ' 

"Whose  system  did  you  use?"  "Solo- 
mon's," said  the  father.  The  young  man 
looked  puzzled,  and  his  father  explained, 
"You  will  find  it  in  the  first  verse  of  the 
fifteenth  chapter  of  Proverbs1,  'A  soft  an- 
swer turneth  away  wrath.'  It  is  the  best  art 
of  self-defence  ever  invented." 

If  any  of  us  have  bad  tempers  let  us  not 
be  satisfied  until  we  have  them  under  con- 
trol. It  is  a  pity  for  any  one  to  go  through 
life  irritable  and  cross,  never  learning  to 
master  his  passion. 

I  would  like  to  have  you  try  the  Quaker  s 
plan  the  next  time  you  get  mad  and  are 
tempted  to  speak  angrily.  Whenever  he 
had  any  dispute,  or  felt  his  temper  rising, 
he  was  very  careful  not  to  raise  his  voice. 
A  friend  asked  him  why  he  did  so,  and  he 
answered,  "I  have  found  that  I  am  not 
likely  to  say  angry  words  if  I  use  a  low  tone. 
I  have  noticed  that  when  persons  get  angry 
198 


The  Junior  Parish 

they  shout.  So  I  control  my  temper  by 
keeping  my  voice  down  to  the  quiet  tones.' ' 
We  need  some  strength  stronger  than 
our  own.  We  must  pray  to  God  for  help 
in  mastering  ourselves.  We  may  give  our 
temper  to  Christ  and  let  him  keep  it  for  us. 


199 


WHERE  DO  YOU  LIVE? 

Where  abidest  thou? — John  1:38. 

Let  us  visit  a  large  city.  There  are 
many  people  in  it.  We  see  broad  avenues, 
parks  and  gardens,  great  buildings,  as  well 
as  thousands  of  homes.  We  see  big  stores 
and  small  stores,  churches  and  public  build- 
ings, and  many  schools. 

In  which  part  of  the  city  shall  we  choose 
a  home  ?  I  don't  like  the  appearance  of  this 
street  on  which  we  enter  the  city.  The  sign- 
board says,  Selfish  Street.  The  doors  of 
the  houses  are  shut  tight.  The  air  feels 
chilly.  Every  one  we  meet  is  hurrying  on, 
not  looking  at  us,  not  a  smile  on  his  face. 
I  am  sure  that  we  should  not  like  our  neigh- 
bors; let  us  pass  on. 

What  is  this  next  street?  There  seem 
to  be  many  people  living  here.  Oh,  it  is 
200 


The  Junior  Parish 

Grumble  Avenue.  There  is  a  baby  crying 
on  the  sidewalk,  and  see  that  dog  growling 
over  a  bone.  His  master  is  scolding  about 
something,  and  near  by  is  a  little  pond  in 
which  the  frogs  are  croaking.  How  sour 
everybody  looks!  No,  this  will  not  do. 
There  is  a  cloud  over  the  sun,  and  we  must 
hasten  on  or  we  shall  get  wet. 

Here  is  a  short  cut  through  Melancholy 
Alley,  and  we  come  to  Disconsolate  Park, 
where  people  are  lolling  on  the  benches. 
Don't  stop! 

Ah,  things  begin  to  look  brighter.  The 
sun  has  come  out  after  all.  I  wonder  if 
there  are  different  kinds  of  weather  in  this 
queer  city? 

Well,  this  seems  more  like  what  we  are 
looking  for!  Faith  Boulevard,  wide  and 
pleasant,  and  branching  out  from  it  Con- 
tentment Drive,  and  Gratitude  Street,  and 
Cheerful  Lane.  The  houses  seem  to  be  of 
201 


The  Junior  Parish  ^ 

all  kinds,  some  large  and  fine,  others  more 
humble,  but  all  attractive.  Hear  that  girl 
singing,  and  that  boy  whistling.  Listen  to 
the  birds !  What  lovely  flowers  in  the  yards 
and  windows !  And  what  does  it  say  on  yon- 
der door-plate?  Dr.  Merry opathy!  Well, 
well,  I  have  heard  of  allopathy,  and  homoe- 
opathy, but  this  is  a  new  kind  of  practice. 
And  there  is  a  church;  listen,  they  are  sing- 
ing, "Praise  God,  from  whom  all  blessings 
flow,"  on  this  beautiful  Sunday  morning. 
What  cordial  people!  Even  the  street-car 
conductors  smile  and  wait  for  passengers 
and  the  policemen  help  us  across  the  street. 
I  don't  believe  that  we  shall  find  a  better 
place  to  live  than  Faith  Boulevard.  I  feel 
that  my  face  is  growing  shorter  already. 
There  is  a  real  estate  office.  We  must  go 
to  church  now,  but  to-morrow  we  will  see  if 
there  are  not  houses  to  rent  or  sell  in  this 
neighborhood. 

202 


HIDING  FROM  GOD 

And  the  man  and  his  wife  hid  themselves  from  the 
presence  of  Jehovah  God. — Genesis  3 :  8. 

Why  did  they  hide?  If  they  had  done 
well  they  would  have  been  glad  to  see  God. 
When  we  have  done  wrong  we  do  not  wish 
God  to  see  us,  and  Adam  and  Eve  had  dis- 
obeyed God's  command. 

How  do  people  try  to  hide  in  these  days  ? 
In  the  banks  of  the  Jordan  River  there  are 
large  holes  or  caves,  first  one  story  high,  then 
two,  and  as  the  river  rises  three-story  caves 
are  found. 

At  certain  times  in  the  year  the  river 
overflows,  and  wild  animals  seek  refuge  in 
the  caves,  at  first  in  the  lower  ones,  and  then, 
as  the  river  swells,  in  the  two-story  caves, 
and  later  in  the  highest. 
203 


The  Junior  Parish 

Shall  we  call  the  excuses  which  we  make 
the  caves  in  which  we  hide? 

One  such  cave  is  the  excuse,  "I  didn't 
think."  A  pupil  at  school  disobeys  the 
rules,  and  when  the  teacher  asks  him  why 
he  did  it,  he  says,  "I  forgot,"  and  he  thinks 
that  is  a  good  excuse.  But  is  it  any  excuse 
at  all?  Isn't  it  wrong  to  forget?  Suppose 
that  Adam  had  said  to  God,  "I  did  not 
remember  what  you  commanded,"  might 
not  God  have  replied,  "But  you  ought  to 
have  remembered,  and  I  must  punish  you 
because  you  did  not  care  enough  for  me  to 
remember  my  command?" 

Another  cave  is  the  excuse,  "I  couldn't 
help  it."  I  think  that  this  excuse  is  worse 
than  the  first  because  it  isn't  true.  The 
Bible  tells  us  that  God  is  able  to  keep  us, 
and  will  give  us  a  way  of  escape  from  every 
temptation  if  we  look  to  him.  We  are  not 
strong  enough  in  ourselves  to  resist  every  sin, 
204- 


The  Junior  Parish 

but  our  conscience  always  reproves  us  when 
we  do  wrong,  and  that  shows  that  we 
are  to  blame.  Do  not  try  to  hide  in  this 
cave. 

Sometimes  people  run  into  the  cave,  "I 
was  too  busy."  In  fact  this  cave  seems  to  be 
crowded  with  sinners  all  the  time,  people 
who  neglect  to  do  what  they  ought  to  do. 
Of  all  the  excuses  which  we  make  this  is  the 
most  foolish,  both  because  it  is  false,  and 
because  we  do  not  believe  it  ourselves  and 
know  that  nobody  believes  it.  But  we  use 
it  because  it  is  a  handy  excuse.  It  is  like 
the  rope  which  the  Arab  would  not  lend. 
Some  one  asked  him  for  the  loan  of  his  rope. 
He  said  that  he  wished  to  use  it  himself. 
"And  what  are  you  going  to  do  with  it?" 
"I  am  going  to  tie  up  some  sand."  "But 
you  can't  tie  up  sand  with  a  rope."  "You 
can  do  anything  with  a  rope  when  you  do 
not  wish  to  lend  it."  If  we  have  neglected 
205 


The  Junior  Parish 

some  duty  let  us  be  honest  and  give  the  true 
reason. 

We  remember  what  Jesus  said  about  the 
men  who  began  to  make  excuse.  They  ex- 
cused themselves  from  following  him.  Is 
there  any  good  excuse  for  not  being  a  dis- 
ciple of  Jesus? 


206 


WHAT  CHRIST  NEEDS 

The  Lord  hath  need  of  him. — Mark  11:3. 

Did  Jesus  need  anything?  He  was  the 
Lord  of  glory,  and  all  things  belonged  to 
him.  And  yet  he  says  that  he  needs  some- 
thing. 

Christ  needs  little  things — here,  in  our 
story,  only  a  little  colt.  That  teaches  us 
that  he  has  need  not  only  of  people  who 
have  great  talents,  but  also  the  smallest  of  us. 
Did  you  ever  see  a  piccolo?  It  is  a  baby 
flute,  the  smallest  instrument  in  the  band. 
One  day  a  great  orchestra  was  playing  beau- 
tiful music.  The  great  trumpets  sounded, 
the  big  bass  drum  boomed,  and  all  the  vio- 
lins and  bass  viols  added  their  voice  to  the 
harmony.  Suddenly  the  leader  rapped  on 
his  stand  and  shouted,  "Piccolo!"  What 
was  the  matter  ?  He  missed  the  sound  of  the 
207 


The  Junior  Parish 

smallest  instrument.  Does  Jesus  miss  your 
note?  Are  you  failing  to  do  your  little 
part?  Then  the  Saviour  calls  out  your 
name,  so  that  you  may  use  your  one  talent 
for  him. 

Notice  that  Jesus  knows  where  to  find 
what  he  needs.  He  told  the  disciples  where 
the  colt  was  tied,  and  at  just  what  time  he 
would  be  there.  When  he  wishes  something 
done  he  knows  where  to  find  just  the  person 
to  do  it.  You  can  do  something  that  no 
other  can  do,  and  Jesus  does  not  have  to  go 
searching  all  over  the  world  to  find  some  one 
to  do  it,  but  he  thinks  at  once  of  you  and 
says,  "There  is  the  boy,  or  the  girl,  to  do 
this  very  thing."  Do  not  disappoint  him  by 
neglecting  to  do  it. 

What    Jesus    needs    is    sometimes    tied. 

The  colt  was  tied  to  a  post.     "Ye  shall  find 

a  colt  tied,"  he  said.     Sometimes  the  money 

which  he  needs  is  tied  up  so  tight  that  he 

208 


The  Junior  Parish 

does  not  get  it.  Sometimes  our  time  is  so 
tied  up  to  pleasure  or  work  that  we  cannot 
spare  a  minute  for  Christ.  Yes,  our  very- 
hearts  may  be  tied  to  other  things,  and  he 
may  lose  them. 

And  after  all  our  hearts  are  what  he  needs. 
The  best  we  can  do  for  him  is  to  love  him. 

A  baby  carriage  was  standing  in  front  of 
a  store,  and  in  it  was  a  sleeping  baby.  A 
drowsy  puppy  lay  on  the  pillow,  its  black 
nose  close  to  the  baby's  cheek.  By  the  car- 
riage stood  a  ragged  child,  poor  and  dirty. 
With  her  hand  she  stroked  the  baby's  curls 
and  patted  the  puppy's  head.  The  baby's 
mother  came  out  of  the  store,  and  seeing 
this  beautiful  picture,  said  to  the  girl,  "Are 
you  taking  care  of  them?"  The  little  girl 
smiled  and  replied,  "No,  please,  ma'am,  I'm 
only  loving  them." 

Love  is  the  greatest  thing  in  the  world, 
the  best  gift  we  can  give  to  Jesus.  When 
209 


The  Junior  Parish 

he  gave  us  his  love  he  gave  us  the  best  he  had, 
and  he  is  not  satisfied  unless  we  give  him  our 
love  in  return.  This  morning  he  asks  each 
one  of  us  the  question  which  he  once  asked 
Peter,  "Lovest  thou  me?" 


210 


ACCIDENTS 

As  one  was  felling  a  beam,  the  axe-head  fell  into 
the  water:  and  he  cried,  and  said,  Alas,  my  master, 
for  it  was  borrowed! — II  Kings  6:5. 

What  do  you  say  and  do  when  you  have 
an  accident?  If  you  slip  down,  or  break  a 
vase,  or  burn  your  finger,  how  do  you  act? 

This  man  was  chopping  down  a  tree  for 
wood  to  build  a  house,  when  the  head  of  his 
axe  fell  off  into  the  water,  and  he  cried  to 
Elisha,  "Alas,  my  master,  for  it  was  bor- 
rowed!" 

Some  people  are  angry  at  accidents. 
When  Anna  tore  her  new  dress  on  a  nail, 
she  said  something  which  you  can  guess. 
When  Harry  tripped  and  fell  just  as  he  was 
going  to  catch  that  fly  ball,  he  didn't  feel 
real  pleasant.  Isn't  it  hard  to  turn  acci- 
dents off  with  a  laugh?  But  after  all,  we 
211 


The  Junior  Parish    x 

do  not  help  matters  by  losing  our  temper, 
while  we  are  stronger  every  time  we  rule 
our  spirit.  By  hard  practice  we  may  learn 
to  keep  cool  every  time  a  mishap  befalls  us. 

But  how  is  it  when  some  other  person 
has  an  accident  which  disturbs  us?  Helen 
was  writing  at  her  desk  in  school  when 
Ellen  hurried  past  and  carelessly  tipped 
over  the  ink  on  Helen's  dress.  That  was 
hard  to  bear.  James  borrowed  my  pocket- 
knife  and  broke  one  of  the  blades.  We 
have  to  be  patient  with  one  another,  don't 
we?  Does  father  or  mother  ever  scold  when 
you  accidentally  do  some  damage  in  the 
house?  Bemember  this  and  see  if  you  can- 
not be  pleasant  to  your  brothers  and  sis- 
ters and  playmates  when  accidents  happen. 

Think  of  accidents  as  temptations.  Sa- 
tan likes  to  have  us  fret  and  scold,  and  who 
knows  but  that  he  throws  accidents  in  our 
way  to  tempt  us  ?  Or  perhaps  God  permits 
212 


The  Junior  Parish 

calamities  to  happen,  to  try  us.  We  may 
learn  from  the  Bible  how  to  bear  these  trials. 

A  visitor  to  a  laundry  observed  Lun  Yen's 
happy  face,  and  inquired  how  he  was  getting 
on. 

"All  light,"  said  Yen.  "Job  helped  me 
this  morning." 

"Job  helped  you?     How  was  that?" 

"Well,  I  have  big  wash,  velly  heavy  quilt, 
too.  Work  hard,  hang  some  clothes  on  line, 
fix  'em  big  quilt  on  line,  put  pole  under 
line,  hold  him  up,  then  wash  more  clothes, 
go  out,  find  pole  blown  down,  heap  big  wind, 
quilt  all  dirt.  Then  I  feel  so  mad,  feel  like 
I  swear ;  then  think  of  Job,  how  he  lose  him 
money,  him  children,  all  him  cattle,  get  sick, 
have  sores;  he  never  swear,  he  praise  God. 
I  bring  quilt  in  house,  wash  him  clean,  praise 
God  all  the  time." 

After  all,  most  of  our  accidents  are  of  very 
little  importance.  Everything  that  we  ever 
213 


The  Junior  Parish  * 

lost  by  them  is  of  small  value  as  compared 
with  our  disposition.  We  often  laugh  at 
the  mishaps  of  others,  why  not  learn  to  see 
the  funny  side  of  our  own  ?  Better  still,  can- 
not we  cultivate  a  cheerful  spirit  which  can- 
not be  affected  by  trifles? 


214 


PLEASE  SHUT  THE  GATE 

They  shut  the  gate. — Joshua  2 :  7. 

We  often  see  the  sign,  "Please  shut  the 
gate."  There  are  many  gates  that  should 
be  shut,  some  to  keep  things  out,  some  to 
keep  things  in. 

There  is  the  gate  of  the  eyes.  A  poet 
tells  us  that  vice  is  a  monster  who  becomes 
less  hideous  if  we  keep  looking  at  it.  It  is 
like  the  crocodiles  which  seem  so  beautiful 
to  some  Africans  that  they  worship  the  crea- 
tures. If  we  find  that  any  sight  arouses  bad 
thoughts  in  our  minds  it  is  time  to  shut  the 
eye-gate.  Temptation  steals  in  through  this 
opening.  You  remember  Achan,  and  that 
it  was  what  he  saw  which  led  him  into  sin. 
It  is  by  looking  at  evil  that  many  men  have 
been  led  into  bad  ways. 

There  is  the  gate  of  the  ears.  When 
215 


The  Junior  Parish 

should  we  shut  this  gate  ?  Surely  we  should 
shut  it  against  bad  stories.  Boys  know 
what  this  means.  There  are  vile  stories 
which  you  would  not  have  father  and  mother 
know  about.  Boys  at  school  tell  them  in 
whispers.  Do  not  listen.  Then  there  are 
evil  reports  about  other  people,  scandal  and 
gossip.  And  it  is  almost  as  bad  to  listen  to 
these  stories  as  it  is  to  tell  them.  When  men 
came  to  Jesus  with  an  evil  report  about  a 
woman  he  said,  "He  that  is  without  sin 
among  you,  let  him  first  cast  a  stone  at  her." 

He  did  not  wish  to  hear  anything  about  it. 
When  we  are  tempted  to  hear  or  to  repeat 
any  scandal,  we  should  ask,  "Will  it  do  any 
good?" 

And  that  mouth-gate,  slam  it  tight  when 
the  angry  words  try  to  get  out !  That  was 
a  good  prayer  of  the  Psalmist,  "Keep  the 
door  of  my  lips."  Please  shut  the  gate; 
don't  let  any  "idle"  word  out,  any  unkind 
216 


The  Junior  Parish 

word,  any  profane  word,  any  word  of  dis- 
content. That  was  another  good  prayer, 
"O  Lord,  open  thou  my  lips."  If  we  wait 
for  God  to  open  this  gate  no  words  will  get 
out  but  such  as  show  forth  his  praise. 

Some  people  keep  the  gate  of  companion- 
ship wide  open  to  everybody.  All  sorts  of 
evil  associates  come  in.  If  the  prodigal  son 
had  shut  this  gate  he  would  have  done  better. 
Every  bad  companion  does  us  harm.  A 
party  of  young  people  were  once  about  to 
go  into  a  coal-mine.  One  of  the  girls  had 
on  a  white  dress.  Another  girl  said,  "You 
had  better  not  wear  that  dress  into  the  sooty 
mine."  The  girl  was  offended  and  appealed 
to  an  old  miner,  "Can't  I  wear  my  white 
dress  down  into  the  mine?"  "Yes,  mum," 
was  the  reply,  "there  is  nothing  to  hinder 
you  from  wearing  a  white  frock  down  there, 
but  there'll  be  considerable  to  keep  you  from 
wearing  one  back." 

217 


The  Junior  Parish 

"Do  you  remember  any  people  in  the 
Bible  who  had  their  characters  soiled  by  bad 
companionships?  How  was  it  with  Lot? 
Where  did  he  dwell,  and  what  was  the  re- 
sult? Do  you  remember  what  God  asked 
Balaam?  He  had  been  associating  with 
men  who  tried  to  hire  him  to  do  wrong,  and 
God  asked,  "What  men  are  these  with 
thee  ?"  God  notices  what  company  we  keep. 
Don't  leave  this  gate  ajar. 


218 


GOD'S  JEWELS 

And  they  shall  be  mine,  saith  the  Lord  of  hosts,  in 
that  day  when  I  make  up  my  jewels. — Malachi  3:  17, 
A.  V. 

What  a  beautiful  thought — that  God's 
people  are  his  jewels!  Why  does  he  call 
them  jewels? 

One  reason  is  that  they  are  precious  to  him. 
He  loves  them  and  values  them  highly.  We 
may  not  care  much  for  the  poor  ragged  child 
on  the  street,  but  that  child  may  be  a  precious 
jewel  to  God.  We  like  pretty  children,  but 
God  loves  them  all.  A  diamond,  when  it  is 
first  found,  is  covered  with  a  dark,  rusty 
coating,  but  this  can  be  easily  removed,  and 
then  the  jewel  shines.  Jesus  can  remove  the 
covering  of  sin  from  any  one  and  make  the 
soul  beautiful.  Diamonds  are  very  costly. 
The  famous  Kohinoor  gem,  which  fell  into 
219 


The  Junior  Parish 

the  possession  of  the  Queen  of  England,  was 
worth  hundreds  of  thousands  of  dollars,  but 
the  Bible  tells  us  that  human  souls  are  more 
precious  than  gold.  Do  not  despise  any  one, 
however  lowly,  for  that  one  may  be  made  a 
jewel  of  God. 

God's  children  are  compared  to  jewels  on 
account  of  their  beauty.  When  you  hold  a 
diamond  up  to  the  light  how  it  flashes  and 
sparkles!  But  this  beauty  is  as  nothing 
compared  with  that  of  a  child  of  God  who 
loves  and  serves  him. 

A  friend  tells  of  going  into  the  store  of 
Tiffany  in  New  York,  and  of  seeing  many 
brilliant  stones.  Then  he  saw  one  stone 
which  had  no  luster  at  all,  and  he  said,  "What 
is  this  worthless  thing  doing  here  among 
these  gems?"  The  salesman  took  the  stone 
and  shut  his  warm  hand  over  it  for  a  few 
moments,  and  when  he  opened  his  hand  what 
a    surprise — the    stone    gleamed   with   the 


The  Junior  Parish 

splendor  of  the  rainbow!  And  the  visitor 
said,  "What  have  you  been  doing  with  it?" 
The  salesman  replied,  "This  is  an  opal.  It 
is  called  the  sympathetic  stone.  It  only 
needs  contact  with  the  human  hand  to  bring 
out  its  beauty."  So  God  lays  his  loving 
hand  upon  his  children,  and  they  become 
beautiful  under  his  touch. 

Does  God  call  his  children  jewels  because 
he  polishes  them  to  make  them  beautiful? 
The  famous  Regent  diamond  was  put  under 
a  polishing  process  for  two  years.  It  cost 
nearly  $25,000  to  make  it  reveal  its  beauty. 
While  a  single  speck  of  sin  stains  our  souls 
we  are  not  fit  jewels  for  God's  crown. 

How  does  he  polish  us?  By  trials  and 
troubles,  by  work,  and  by  joy.  The  little 
pearl  grows  and  grows  in  the  oyster.  A 
crystal  fluid  covers  it  day  by  day,  and  it  be- 
comes larger  and  richer  in  color.  Then  the 
pearl-fisher  finds  the  oyster  and  opens  it,  and 
221 


The  Junior  Parish 

there  is  the  pearl  worthy  of  the  diadem  of  a 
king. 

Do  our  troubles  and  our  blessings  make  us 
more  beautiful?  Do  they  give  us  the  beauty 
of  patience  and  trust  and  gratitude?  God 
knows  just  how  much  of  joy  and  just  how 
much  of  pain  to  send  to  each  one  of  us,  and 
thus  he  seeks  to  make  us  jewels  to  his  praise. 


SHAKE  BEFORE  USING 

Stir  up  the  gift  of  God  which  is  in  thee. — II  Tim- 
othy 1 :  6. 

I  hold  a  bottle  of  medicine  in  my  hand. 
On  it  I  read,  "Shake  before  using."  I  look 
at  the  bottle  carefully  and  see  a  dark  sedi- 
ment settled  at  the  bottom,  while  the  liquid 
above  is  clear.  I  shake  the  bottle,  and  now 
it  is  well  mixed  and  is  ready  for  use. 

Paul  advises  Timothy  to  stir  up  the  gift 
that  is  in  him.  Every  one  has  some  gift  or 
talent,  which  is  of  no  use,  like  the  dark  sedi- 
ment in  the  bottle,  until  it  is  well  shaken. 

For  instance,  if  a  pupil  at  school  has  a 
talent  for  arithmetic,  but  is  idle  and  lazy,  his 
gift  is  of  no  use.  The  man  who  had  the  one 
talent,  and  did  not  use  it,  failed  to  stir  up 
the  gift  that  was  in  him.     God  gives  us  the 


The  Junior  Parish 

abilities  which  we  possess  and  requires  us  to 
use  them  rightly. 

Some  people  seem  to  be  like  the  bottle, 
they  need  to  be  well  shaken.  They  have 
power  to  do  something  but  neglect  to  do  their 
best.     Others  are  wide  awake  and  in  earnest. 

Only  yesterday  I  was  reading  of  a  boy 
who  was  stirring  up  his  gift. 

He  applied  for  the  position  of  office  boy. 
The  proprietor  of  the  store  looked  him  over, 
and  said,  "I  wonder  whether  you  expect  to 
engage  as  a  whole  boy  or  as  half  a  boy.  You 
have  two  arms  and  two  legs,  your  body  seems 
to  be  all  right:  it  is  your  mind  I  am  think- 
ing about,  your  wits.  I  suppose  you  are  in- 
terested in  baseball  ?" 

The  boy  was  bright  and  understood.  He 
drew  himself  up  like  a  soldier,  and  said, 
"Yes,  sir,  I  like  baseball  first  rate:  but  when 
I'm  here  I'll  be  all  here,  and  when  I'm 
through  here  I'll  be  all  there.  I'll  do  my 
224 


The  Junior  Parish 

best  in  both  places,  but  I'm  not  big  enough 
to  divide."  He  gained  the  place  and  kept 
his  word. 

If  we  are  to  stir  up  the  gift  that  is  in  us, 
we  must  know  what  that  gift  is.  Every 
junior  beginning  life  should  study  his  tal- 
ents, and  try  to  decide  what  he  can  do  best, 
then  pray  to  God  for  guidance.  God  will 
show  us  our  place  in  life  if  we  ask  him. 
Somebody  says  that  there  are  too  many 
square  people  in  round  holes,  and  too  many 
round  people  in  square  holes.  Try  to  dis- 
cover where  you  belong. 

Don't  be  afraid  of  hard  work.  Don't 
think  to  succeed  without  effort.  "Whatso- 
ever thy  hand  findeth  to  do,  do  it  with  thy 
might."  Take  pride  in  doing  your  work 
well.  Stir  up  the  gift  that  is  in  you.  Be 
trustworthy. 

A  visitor  was  in  a  school  one  day  when  a 
little  fellow  came  to  the  desk  to  ask  the 
225 


The  Junior  Parish 

teacher  a  question.  After  he  had  returned 
the  teacher  whispered  to  the  visitor,  "There 
is  a  boy  that  I  can  trust."  That  was  the 
highest  praise,  was  it  not? 

We  often  speak  of  trusting  God.  Do  we 
ever  ask  whether  God  can  trust  us?  If  he 
leaves  us  to  do  some  work,  while  he  is  attend- 
ing to  other  things,  can  he  feel  that  when  he 
comes  back  he  will  find  that  we  have  been 
faithful? 


226 


THE  LESSON  OF  THE  HONEY 
GUIDE 

Come  and  see. — John  1 :  46. 

In  the  jungles  of  Africa  there  is  a  little 
gray  bird  with  a  red  beak.  It  is  called  the 
Indicator,  or  Honey-guide.  This  bird,  like 
some  young  people,  is  very  fond  of  honey. 
But  the  hives  of  the  bees  are  carefully  hid- 
den and  guarded  by  piercing  stings. 

Now  the  honey-guide  is  a  fine  scout,  with 
sharp  eyes,  and  it  finds  the  secret  places 
where  honey  is  stored.  But  it  does  not  stop 
to  have  a  feast.  Away  it  flies  to  find  some 
human  being,  and  flutters  about  him  to  at- 
tract his  attention.  The  natives  understand, 
and  follow  the  bird,  and  when  they  find  the 
honey  they  always  give  the  guide  a  good 
share. 

So  Philip  said  to  Nathanael,  "Come  and 
227 


The  Junior  Parish 

see."  Philip  had  found  Jesus,  and  he  told 
his  friend  about  this  Saviour,  but  Nathanael 
doubted,  and  Philip  did  not  stop  to  argue 
about  it,  buc  replied,  "Come  and  see." 

That  was  very  wise  in  Philip.  If  we  try 
to  persuade  any  one  to  come  to  our  Saviour, 
the  best  way  is  to  invite  him  to  come  and  see 
for  himself.  That  was  the  way  David 
sought  to  get  his  friends  to  find  out  how  good 
God  is.  He  said  to  them,  "Oh,  taste  and 
see  that  Jehovah  is  good."  It  is  just  as  if 
you  had  a  younger  brother  who  had  never 
tasted  honey,  and  he  didn't  like  the  looks  of 
it,  and  you  would  say,  "You  just  taste  of  it 
and  see  how  good  it  is." 

Some  of  us  are  like  Philip.  We  have 
found  Jesus  and  we  know  what  a  good 
Friend  he  is.  We  have  learned  to  love  him, 
and  we  try  to  follow  him,  and  he  has  become 
precious  to  us.  Now  we  wish  to  have  you 
share  in  this  happiness,  and  instead  of  try- 
228 


The  Junior  Parish 

ing  to  tell  you  what  Jesus  does  for  us,  we 
just  say,  "We  will  leave  it  for  you  to  decide* 
If  you  will  come  and  see  him  and  talk  with 
him  and  become  acquainted  with  him,  we 
are  sure  that  you  will  be  as  glad  to  love  him 
as  we  are." 

Every  young  Christian  can  say  to  his 
friends  what  Philip  said  to  Nathanael. 
Perhaps  you  cannot  argue  with  any  one  who 
speaks  against  religion ;  perhaps  you  do  not 
know  how  to  tell  about  your  own  experience 
with  Christ.  But  you  can  say  to  others, 
"Come  and  see."  And  when  they  come, 
Jesus  will  win  them  by  his  love  and  grace. 
Nathanael  doubted  whether  any  one  who 
came  from  Nazareth  could  be  the  Saviour, 
but  he  was  fair  enough  to  go  to  Christ  and 
see  him,  and  Christ  persuaded  him  to  become 
a  disciple. 

I  would  like  to  know  how  many  of  us  who 
are  here  to-day  were  brought  to  Jesus  by 
229 


The  Junior  Parish  " 

some  friend.  That  is  the  plan  of  our 
Saviour,  that  those  who  love  him  should 
bring  others  to  him.  He  calls  us  his  wit- 
nesses, and  he  depends  on  us  to  tell  the  world 
about  him,  and  to  invite  everybody  to  come  to 
our  Saviour. 


230 


LIONS  IN  THE  WAY 

The  sluggard  saitb,  There  is  a  lion  without;  I  shall 
be  slain  in  the  streets. — Proverbs  22:13. 

The  lions  of  which  I  wish  to  speak  are 
called  Temptations.  There  are  many  of 
them  in  the  streets,  waiting  to  pounce  upon 
us.     The  slothful  man  is  afraid  of  them. 

And  we  do  well  to  be  on  our  guard.  One 
good  rule  is  not  to  get  in  the  way  of  these 
lions  carelessly.  A  Jewish  newsboy  was 
selling  evening  papers  among  the  clerks  in  a 
store.  Unawares,  as  he  came  near  the 
cashier,  he  found  himself  next  to  an  open 
cash  drawer  full  of  bright  coins.  Quicker 
than  a  wink  he  stepped  back,  and  nothing 
could  induce  him  to  go  near  that  temptation. 
Keep  away  from  places  where  the  Tempter 
lays  his  trap.  If  you  know  that  certain  com- 
231 


The  Junior  Parish 

panions  will  lead  you  into  temptation,  avoid 
their  company. 

But  we  cannot  always  escape  these  lions. 
So  another  good  rule  is  not  to  be  afraid  of 
them.  It  is  said  that  a  brave  man  can  con- 
quer an  African  lion  by  advancing  steadily 
and  looking  him  squarely  in  the  eye.  When 
Jesus  was  tempted  in  the  wilderness  he  con- 
quered the  Tempter  by  passages  of  Scrip- 
ture. A  boy  tried  this  same  plan  one  Sun- 
day morning,  and  came  off  victorious. 
Some  friends  came  and  asked  him  to  go  with 
them  on  a  holiday  excursion  into  the 
woods. 

"But  I  have  positive  orders  not  to  go,''  he 
replied. 

"Does  your  father  know  about  it?"  they 
asked. 

"Yes,"  said  he,  "my  Father  knows  about 
it;  he  knew  about  it  long  ago,  and  he  said, 
'Remember  the  Sabbath  Day  to  keep  it 
232 


The  Junior  Parish 

holy.'     These  are  his  orders,  and  I  am  not 
going  to  break  them." 

It  is  not  always  pleasant  and  easy  to  meet 
temptation:  we  may  have  to  suffer  rather 
than  do  wrong.  You  remember  how  the 
Chinese  Christians  were  sorely  tempted  to 
deny  their  faith  during  the  Boxer  troubles. 
Dr.  Li,  a  Chinese  physician  in  Pekin,  was 
urged  to  save  his  life  by  seeming  to  fall  in 
with  idolatrous  worship.  "Let  us  put  a  few 
idols  in  your  room,"  said  his  friends,  "and  if 
the  Boxers  come  they  will  think  that  you  are 
not  a  Christian."  But  God  gave  him 
courage  not  to  deny  Christ  in  this  way.  On 
another  occasion,  as  he  was  trying  to  escape 
from  the  city,  a  friend  offered  him  some 
strings  of  paper  money  to  carry  in  his  hand, 
saying,  "If  the  Boxers  meet  you,  and  see  the 
strings,  they  will  think  that  you  are  going  to 
make  offerings  at  a  grave,  and  let  you  pass." 
This  seemed  to  be  a  simple  way  to  escape, 
233 


The  Junior  Parish 

but  the  brave  doctor  refused  to  make  a  pre- 
tence of  being  an  idolater. 

He  needed  God's  help,  as  we  all  do^  to 
resist  temptation.  Let  us  suffer  anything 
rather  than  do  wrong.  Our  Saviour  taught 
us  to  pray,  "Lead  us  not  into  temptation,  but 
deliver  us  from  evil,"  and  God  promises  to 
make  a  way  of  escape  for  us  from  every 
temptation  if  we  trust  him.  It  is  not  a  sin 
to  be  tempted,  but  it  is  a  sin  to  yield  to 
temptation. 


234 


SERMONS  FOR  SPECIAL 
OCCASIONS 


CRADLE-ROLL  DAY 

Go  thou,  and  read  in  the  roll. — Jeremiah  36:  6. 

This  is  Cradle-Roll  Day.  We  have  a 
long  list  of  baby  names,  little  beginners  in 
the  Sunday-school.  God  knows  them  all 
and  remembers  them.  He  will  care  for  them 
as  they  grow.  When  the  teacher  asked  the 
little  boy  who  made  him,  he  answered,  "God 
made  me  so  long,  and  I  grew  the  rest."  But 
it  was  God  who  made  him  grow.  We  could 
not  live  a  moment  if  God  did  not  preserve 
our  lives. 

In  Japan  they  have  a  curious  custom  in 
naming  babies.  The  child  is  taken  to  the 
temple,  and  the  father  mentions  three  names 
to  the  priest,  who  writes  them  on  three  slips 
of  paper.  He  then  throws  these  slips  over 
his  shoulder,  and  the  slip  which  reaches  the 
ground  last  contains  the  name  to  be  given  to 
237 


The  Junior  Parish 

the  baby.  He  writes  the  name  on  a  piece  of 
silk,  which  he  hands  to  the  father,  with  these 
words,  "Thus  shall  the  child  be  named."  I 
like  our  way  of  naming  children  better. 

We  hope  that  all  names  on  our  cradle-roll 
will  soon  be  on  our  class-roll,  and  then  on  the 
church-roll.  If  the  teachers  and  parents 
lead  them  to  Christ  they  will  learn  to  follow 
and  to  serve  him.  We  need  them  all  in  the 
church. 

Or  perhaps  the  baby  will  lead  father  and 
mother  to  God.  There  is  a  verse  in  the 
Bible  which  says,  "A  little  child  shall  lead 
them."  I  should  think  that  parents  would 
love  God  for  sending  them  such  sweet  chil- 
dren. 

When  a  missionary  was  traveling  in  the 
little  steamboat  called  The  Peace,  on  the 
Congo,  he  was  suddenly  stopped  and  sur- 
rounded by  wild  Africans,  armed  with 
spears,  who  threatened  to  kill  him.     He  tried 


The  Junior  Parish 

to  make  them  friendly,  but  they  were  fierce 
and  savage.  A  happy  thought  came  to  him : 
I  think  that  God  must  have  put  it  into  his 
mind.  He  shouted  to  his  wife,  who  was  in 
the  cabin,  "Show  them  the  baby!"  and  she 
snatched  up  the  little  cherub  and  rushed  out 
on  deck  and  held  him  up  before  the  savages. 
You  never  saw  such  astonished  wild  men! 
They  had  never  seen  a  white  baby  before. 
The  baby  began  to  laugh  and  crow,  and  held 
out  his  little  hands  toward  the  black  men, 
who  dropped  their  spears  and  smiled  with 
delight,  and  became  warm  friends  of  the 
missionary. 

There  is  another  roll  mentioned  in  the 
Bible.  It  is  called  the  Lamb's  Book  of 
Life.  It  contains  the  names  of  all  who  love 
God,  all  whom  God  loves  because  they  serve 
him.  We  hope  that  all  the  names  on  our 
cradle-roll  may  be  found  at  last  written  in 
this  Book  of  Life.  Are  our  names  there  ? 
239 


THE  ANGEL  AND  THE 
SANDALS 

SCHOOL   OPENING 

And  the  angel  said  unto  him,  Gird  thyself,  and 
bind  on  thy  sandals.     And  he  did  so. — Acts  12:8. 

Here  we  are  again  at  the  beginning  of  the 
school  year.  Vacation  is  over,  and  the  time 
for  work  has  come.  I  was  reading  the  story 
of  Abraham  Lincoln's  life,  of  how  he  had 
little  chance  for  schooling,  and  studied  alone 
by  the  light  of  a  candle  at  night  in  his  poor 
cabin.  We  are  thankful,  aren't  we,  for  our 
privileges  and  opportunities  at  school? 

One  good  rule  of  the  schoolroom  is  the  law 
of  obedience.  Some  one  asked  General 
Sherman,  "What  must  I  do  to  become  a  good 
soldier?"  "Obey  orders,"  was  the  only  re- 
ply. So  a  good  scholar  will  obey  the  teacher 
and  the  rules  of  the  school. 
240 


The  Junior  Parish 

How  long  it  takes  to  get  an  education! 
We  have  to  learn  one  lesson  after  another, 
and  little  by  little  we  get  on.  A  good  stu- 
dent is  faithful  every  day.  Once  a  man  saw 
a  stone  mason  breaking  a  large  stone  with  a 
small  hammer.  "You  never  can  do  it,"  said 
the  man.  But  the  mason  hammered  on. 
No  one  blow  seemed  to  have  any  effect,  but 
at  last  a  small  crack  appeared:  a  few  more 
blows  and  the  stone  fell  apart. 

"Now,"  said  the  mason,  "can  you  tell  me 
which  blow  it  was  that  broke  the  stone?" 

"Why,  the  last  one,  to  be  sure,"  replied  the 
other. 

"There  you're  wrong,  sir,"  said  the  mason. 
"It  was  the  first  blow,  and  the  last  blow,  and 
all  the  middle  ones,  sir." 

That  is  the  way  with  our  studies.     One 
lesson  after  another,  day  after  day,  year 
by  year,  and  at  last  we  are  educated.     It 
requires  patience  and  industry. 
241 


The  Junior  Parish 

School-days  are  among  the  happiest  of 
life.  The  friendships  that  we  form  are  one 
thing  that  make  them  so.  Sometimes  these 
friendships  run  on  through  life.  Be  careful 
to  choose  worthy  friends.  And  try  to  be  a 
good  friend.  If  you  find  boys  and  girls  with 
bad  habits,  keep  away  from  them,  unless  in 
some  way  you  can  do  them  good. 

It  is  during  school-days  that  characters 
are  forming.  I  once  saw  a  sign  beside  a 
greenhouse.  It  was  in  May,  and  the  sign 
said,  "Now  is  the  time  to  plant  things."  I 
often  think  of  that  sign  when  I  see  the 
scholars  trooping  up  to  school.  They  are 
planting  things,  habits  which  will  grow  into 
characters.  What  they  sow  now  they  will 
reap  by-and-by. 

The  angel  said,  "Gird  thyself,  and  bind 
on  thy  sandals."  That  means  advancement, 
progress.  Don't  waste  the  hours.  Study 
hard.     Play  when  you  play,  and  work  when 


The  Junior  Parish 

you  work.  Wherever  you  are,  be  all  there. 
Give  enough  time  to  athletics,  but  not  all  the 
time.  Keep  the  body  well,  and  don't  neglect 
the  mind.  Your  success  in  life  depends  on 
these  school-days  and  how  you  use  them. 


243 


RALLY  DAY 

With  both  hands  earnestly. — Micah  7:3,  A.  V. 

This  is  Rally  Day,  and  I  have  taken 
Micah's  words  for  a  motto. 

To  be  sure  Micah  is  speaking  of  bad  men 
who,  he  says,  do  evil  with  both  hands  ear- 
nestly. Well,  they  were  in  earnest  anyway, 
and  if  bad  men  can  use  both  hands  to  do 
wrong,  surely  we  ought  to  be  as  much  in 
earnest  to  do  right. 

The  difference  between  a  good  Sunday- 
school  and  a  splendid  one  is  that  in  the  first 
everybody  works  with  one  hand,  whereas  in 
the  model  school  they  work  with  both. 

Why  shouldn't  we  work  with  two  hands 
just  as  we  walk  with  two  feet  and  see  with 
two  eyes? 

Rally  Day  is  a  good  time  to  get  new 
scholars  for  the  school.  Let  every  boy  and 
244 


The  Junior  Parish 

girl  be  on  the  lookout  for  other  boys  and  girls 
who  do  not  go  to  Sunday-school,  and  say  to 
them,  "Come  with  us,  and  we  will  do  you 
good."  This  is  what  we  should  be  doing  all 
the  time,  not  trying  to  get  scholars  away 
from  other  schools,  but  bringing  in  new  re- 
cruits. 

Then  go  after  the  wanderers,  those  who 
have  strayed  away  from  the  school  or  have 
been  irregular  in  attendance.  Bring  them 
back  and  invite  them  to  come  every  Sunday. 

Rally  Day  is  a  good  time  to  begin  study- 
ing the  lesson  more  faithfully,  to  be  sorry  if 
we  have  given  the  teacher  any  trouble  by  mis- 
conduct, and  to  resolve  to  do  better ;  a  time  to 
think  how  we  can  repay  the  teacher  for  all 
the  hard  work  and  patience  and  kindness  of 
the  past  year. 

Rally  Day  is  a  good  time  to  give  our 
hearts  to  Christ  if  we  never  have  done  so. 
We  shall  always  remember  this  day  with 
£45 


The  Junior  Parish 

pleasure  if  we  start  now  to  follow  our 
Saviour.  That  is  the  chief  purpose  of  com- 
ing to  Sunday-school,  to  learn  the  way  of  life 
and  to  enter  upon  it.  Begin  to-day  to  be  a 
Christian,  and  you  will  always  be  glad. 

Rally  Day  is  a  good  day  to  strike  the  key- 
note for  the  year.  I  shouldn't  believe  in  this 
anniversary  at  all  if  it  meant  just  one  spurt 
of  endeavor  and  then  a  year  with  little  en- 
thusiasm. What  we  want  is  both  hands  at 
work  through  the  year. 

How  many  of  these  juniors  have  ever 
picked  huckleberries?  I  used  to  visit  some 
aunts  of  mine  in  Rhode  Island,  and  it  was 
great  fun  to  go  huckleberrying.  I  remem- 
ber how  fast  one  of  my  aunts  picked  berries ; 
she  took  the  largest  pail  and  filled  it  first. 
She  picked  with  both  hands.  She  picked 
right  through  the  thin  spots  and  the  places 
where  the  berries  were  plentiful.  The  rest 
of  us  had  time  to  laugh  and  talk,  and  to  eat 
246 


The  Junior  Parish 

too,  and  we  were  always  running  from  one 
place  to  another  where  we  fancied  the  berries 
were  thicker,  but  she  kept  right  at  work, 
work,  work. 

Let  us  not  only  have  a  rousing  time  to- 
day, but  let  us  keep  up  our  interest  through 
the  year:  let  us  go  on  as  we  begin  to-day. 


247 


ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

LINCOLN'S  BIRTHDAY 

The  memory  of  the  just  is  blessed. — Proverbs 
10:7. 

I  am  so  glad  that  we  have  Lincoln  Day 
in  our  calendar.  Let  me  urge  the  young 
people  to  read  the  history  of  the  United 
States,  and  especially  to  become  familiar 
with  the  lives  of  our  great  men  like  Abraham 
Lincoln. 

There  is  much  for  the  young  to  learn  from 
the  story  of  this  great  and  good  man. 

He  was  a  poor  boy,  and  his  early  life  was 
a  struggle  with  hardship  and  difficulty.  He 
had  little  education  beyond  what  he  gained 
by  private  study  and  reading.  By  the  dim 
light  of  a  tallow  dip,  in  his  lonely  cabin,  he 
pored  over  a  few  books  by  night.  But  he 
did  his  own  thinking,  and  he  thought  a  great 


The  Junior  Parish 

deal.  One  time  he  walked  nine  miles  to  get 
a  grammar,  which  he  studied  carefully. 
Boys  may  succeed  in  life  even  if  they  do  not 
have  many  advantages.  Pluck  and  perse- 
verance may  win  the  prize. 

They  called  him  "Honest  Abe."  I  think 
they  meant  not  only  that  he  was  truthful,  but 
that  all  through  he  was  clean  and  sincere  and 
upright,  pure  gold,  nothing  counterfeit. 
There  was  no  trickery,  no  deceit,  in  his  na- 
ture, and  men  trusted  him.  He  sets  us  an 
example  of  manliness  and  purity  of  heart. 

To  be  sure  he  was  a  very  homely  man. 
You  remember  the  man  who  gave  him  the 
jackknife — the  homely  man  who  was  keep- 
ing the  knife  until  he  should  find  a  man 
homelier  than  himself.  And  yet  you  will 
agree  that  his  face  is  one  of  the  most  beauti- 
ful you  ever  saw.  Goodness  shines  right  out 
of  it.  It  is  character  that  makes  men  and 
women  beautiful. 

249 


The  Junior  Parish 

He  hated  cruelty  and  oppression.  He 
said,  "If  slavery  is  not  wrong,  nothing  is 
wrong.  If  ever  I  have  a  chance  to  hit  it  I 
will  hit  it  hard."  This  was  because  he  loved 
his  fellow-men.  His  heart  warmed  toward 
people,  as  well  the  poor  and  lowly  as  the 
rich  and  powerful. 

He  showed  wonderful  tact  in  dealing  with 
men.  Some  of  them  envied  him  and  worked 
against  him,  but  he  was  their  master  because 
he  was  not  seeking  his  own  advantage,  be- 
cause he  controlled  his  spirit,  and  because  he 
was  working  for  the  good  of  his  country. 

He  was  a  very  brave  man.  He  had  not 
only  physical  courage,  but  that  higher  moral 
courage  which  dares  to  do  right.  He  would 
do  what  his  conscience  told  him  to  do,  even 
though  he  might  lose  by  it. 

And  he  loved  his  country.  True  patriot- 
ism does  not  consist  in  shouting  and  waving 
flags  and  firing  cannon  and  making  war,  but 
250 


The  Junior  Parish 

in  doing  all  we  can  for  the  real  good  of  our 
native  land. 

Abraham  Lincoln  was  a  total  abstainer 
from  intoxicating  liquor,  and  he  hated  the 
saloons.  He  was  a  religious  man.  How 
often  he  prayed!  He  said  that  he  had  not 
wisdom  and  strength  to  lead  the  nation  un- 
less by  the  help  of  God.  He  loved  the  Bible 
and  read  it  often,  and  said  that  it  was  the 
best  book,  the  book  of  God. 


251 


EASTER  SUNDAY 

He  that  is  unrighteous,  let  him  do  unrighteousness 
still:  and  he  that  is  filthy,  let  him  be  made  filthy 
still:  and  he  that  is  righteous,  let  him  do  righteous- 
ness still:  and  he  that  is  holy,  let  him  be  made  holy 
still. — Revelation  22:  11. 

A  violet  and  a  weed  were  growing  side 
by  side  in  a  field.  Often  the  poor  little  weed 
looked  at  the  pretty  violet  and  sighed. 
People  went  by  and  admired  the  flower,  but 
they  carelessly  trod  on  the  weed.  After  a 
time  winter  began  to  come,  the  cold  winds 
blew*  and  both  the  violet  and  the  weed 
withered.  And  just  as  the  weed  went  to 
sleep  it  said  to  itself,  "  When  we  wake  up  in 
the  spring  perhaps  I  will  be  a  violet." 

For  a  long  time  the  snow  lay  on  the 

ground,  and  then  it  began  to  melt  and  the 

spring    came.     The    weed    woke    up    and 

looked  about.     There  was  the  violet  begin- 

252 


The  Junior  Parish 

ning  to  grow  green  and  beautiful  again. 
But  alas,  poor  weed,  it  looked  down  at  itself 
and  saw  that  it  was  the  same  unlovely  thing 
that  it  had  always  been. 

Our  text  says  that  this  is  the  way  it  will 
be  in  heaven.  If  a  person  is  unjust  and 
filthy  here,  he  will  be  unjust  and  filthy  there. 
If  he  leads  a  righteous  and  holy  life  in  this 
world,  he  will  live  the  same  life  in  God's 
home  above. 

This  is  one  of  the  lessons  of  Easter,  the 
celebration  of  the  resurrection  of  Christ. 
They  crucified  him,  and  he  was  buried,  and 
then  on  the  third  day  he  came  forth  alive 
from  the  sepulchre  where  they  laid  him. 
And  he  was  the  same  Jesus  that  he  was  be- 
fore. So  we  will  be  hereafter  just  what  we 
are  now. 

When  we  think  about  it  a  bad  man  would 
not  be  happy  in  God's  presence.  Even  in 
this  world  people  who  refuse  to  love  and 
25S 


The  Junior  Parish 

obey  God  do  not  enjoy  the  company  of 
God's  friends.  They  do  not  care  to  go  to 
church,  and  they  feel  uncomfortable  in  the 
presence  of  religious  people.  What  could 
they  do  in  heaven,  with  everybody  praising 
God  and  serving  him?  Joseph  and  Samuel 
and  Daniel  and  Peter  might  have  a  delight- 
ful time  together  in  that  happy  land,  but 
what  could  Cain  and  Jezebel  and  Pilate  and 
Herodias  do  there?  They  must  go  to  their 
own  place. 

There  will  be  a  resurrection  of  all  our 
deeds  and  words  hereafter.  That  is  another 
Easter  thought.  Our  earthly  actions  will 
rise  up  from  their  graves.  Our  words  will 
rise,  the  good  and  the  bad.  Yes,  our 
thoughts  will  appear  again,  and  God  will 
judge  us  by  what  we  have  been  here.  Will 
any  angry  words  rise  up  to  condemn  us,  or 
perhaps  some  kind  words  to  make  us  glad 
that  we  ever  spoke  them? 
%5  4 


The  Junior  Parish 

If  we  wish  to  live  with  Jesus  in  another 
world  we  must  be  his  disciples  in  this  world. 
If  we  neglect  him  here  we  shall  not  be  with 
him  there.  Easter  is  a  very  happy  time  if 
we  are  Christians.  Be  sure  to  make  Christ 
your  friend  now.     Do  not  wait. 


255 


SPRINGTIME 

For  lo,  the  winter  is  past; 
The  rain  is  over  and  gone; 
The  flowers  appear  on  the  earth; 
The  time  of  the  singing  of  birds  is  come, 
And  the  voice  of  the  turtle-dove  is  heard  in  our  land. 
— Song  of  Solomon  2:  11,  12. 

How  plainly  God's  love  is  seen  in  this 
beautiful  world  which  he  made  for  our  home. 
The  Bible  says  that  he  saw  everything  that 
he  had  made,  and  behold  it  was  good. 

His  goodness  is  seen  in  the  changing  of  the 
seasons.  Not  alwaj^s  winter  nor  always 
summer,  which  would  be  very  tedious,  but 
each  season  in  its  time,  and  all  beautiful. 

So  our  text  is  praiseful;  it  expresses  our 
gratitude  to  our  Heavenly  Father.  The 
cold  winter  is  past,  with  rain  and  snow,  the 
flowers  peep  out,  and  the  birds  come  back 
with  song.  Thankfulness  is  a  lovely  grace, 
256 


The  Junior  Parish 

and  we  may  ask  God  to  give  us  more  of  it, 
so  that  we  may  think  more  of  the  blessings, 
less  of  the  trials  and  sorrows,  and  cultivate 
glad  hearts. 

What  do  the  flowers  teach  us?  Christ 
used  them  as  a  lesson  in  trust.  "Consider 
the  lilies  of  the  field,  .  .  .  shall  not  God 
much  more  clothe  you?"  Trust  means  that 
God  gives  us  what  is  best  for  us,  and  a  part 
of  trust  is  to  leave  our  interests  in  his  keep- 
ing. 

Just  think  how  God  brings  up  the  flowers 
and  takes  care  of  them.  They  have  a  beau- 
tiful expression  about  the  flowers  in  Den- 
mark, where  the  winters  are  long  and  cold, 
and  there  is  not  much  summer.  Even  the 
poorest  people  have  their  window-boxes  and 
their  winter  blossoms,  and  through  the  dark 
months  they  cherish  their  plants.  And  they 
do  not  say  that  they  grow  their  flowers  or 
bring  them  up,  but  they  have  a  word  which 
257 


The  Junior  Parish 

means  that  they  "love  them  up."  That  is 
what  God  does,  and  if  he  does  it  with  the 
flowers,  how  much  more  with  his  children, 
and  how  fully  they  must  trust  him ! 

Then  the  birds.  Our  text  says,  "The 
voice  of  the  turtle-dove."  The  dove  is  the 
sacred  bird  of  the  Scriptures,  representing 
the  Holy  Spirit.  At  the  baptism  of  Christ 
the  Spirit  of  God  descended  like  a  dove  and 
lighted  on  him.  I  think  that  we  might  get 
a  lesson  of  love  from  the  birds — of  God's 
love  to  us  and  of  our  love  to  his  creatures. 

I  love  to  watch  the  birds  in  these  nest- 
building  spring  days  and  listen  to  their 
carols,  and  I  confess  that  I  do  not  enjoy  see- 
ing a  boy  or  a  man  come  along  with  a  gun 
and  shoot  them.  How  happy  they  are,  how 
free  and  light !  Jesus  watched  the  sparrows 
and  said,  "Not  one  of  them  shall  fall  on  the 
ground  without  your  Father." 

I  like  to  see  a  splendid  eagle  soaring 
258 


The  Junior  Parish 

around  the  mountain-top.  How  grand  he 
is,  how  majestic!  His  freedom  is  dear  to 
him,  as  mine  is  to  me.  I  don't  feel  the  same 
pleasure  when  I  see  him  shut  up  in  a  cage. 
Let  us  love  all  the  creatures  whom  God 
made,  for  he  loves  them. 


259 


MOTHERS'  DAY 

Then  saith  he  to  the  disciple,  Behold  thy  mother ! — 
John  19:27. 

Jesus  was  on  the  cross,  and  seeing  his 
mother  standing  by,  and  knowing  that  when 
he  should  be  gone  she  would  have  no  one  to 
take  care  of  her,  he  said  to  John,  "Behold 
thy  mother!"  And  John  took  her  to  his 
home  and  loved  her  and  cared  for  her. 

We  have  no  dearer  friends  than  our 
mothers.  Like  Jesus  we  may  love  them  and 
do  all  we  can  to  be  a  blessing  to  them.  One 
way  in  which  we  can  show  them  our  love  is 
by  doing  all  we  can  at  home  to  help  them.  A 
boy  once  declared  that  he  loved  his  mother 
with  all  his  strength. 

"What  do  you  mean  by  that?"  he  was 
asked. 

"Well,"  said  he,  "we  live  on  the  top  floor 
260 


The  Junior  Parish 

of  the  tenement,  and  the  coal  is  kept  in  the 
basement.  Mother  is  busy  all  the  time,  and 
she  isn't  very  strong,  so  I  see  to  it  that  the 
coal-hod  is  never  empty.  I  lug  the  coal  up 
three  flights  of  stairs,  all  by  myself,  and  it  is 
hard  work.  Now  isn't  that  loving  my 
mother  with  all  my  strength?" 

Do  you  remember  any  of  the  mothers 
spoken  of  in  the  Bible? 

Samuel,  when  a  boy,  worked  and  studied 
in  the  Tabernacle,  and  his  mother  made  him 
a  little  coat  each  year  and  brought  it  to  him. 
Mother  cares  for  us  when  we  are  young,  and 
sews  love  into  our  clothing.  What  can  we 
do  for  her  to  repay  all  her  kindness?  I 
think  that  the  best  we  can  do  is  to  be  good,  to 
do  right,  for  nothing  makes  her  so  glad  as 
to  see  her  children  growing  up  into  good  men 
and  women. 

What  was  the  name  of  Timothy's  mother? 
It  was  a  beautiful  name,  wasn't  it?  She 
261 


The  Junior  Parish 

taught  him  the  Scriptures  and  how  to  please 
God.  Some  of  the  best  men  say  that  they 
owe  their  success  in  life  to  their  mothers.  It 
is  always  safe  to  obey  a  good  mother  and  to 
follow  her  advice. 

Do  we  ever  speak  cross  words  to  mother? 
Every  one  of  those  words  hurts  her.  She 
has  many  cares;  what  can  we  do  to  lighten 
them?  By-and-by  she  will  be  gone,  and 
then  we  shall  be  glad  to  think  of  all  that  we 
ever  did  to  make  her  life  happy. 

A  boy  whose  mother  had  died  was  sent  to 
live  with  his  aunt.  It  was  a  ride  of  some 
miles  to  the  new  home,  and  his  uncle,  driving 
the  horse,  noticed  that  the  lad  often  thrust 
his  hand  into  the  pocket  of  his  blouse  as  if 
to  make  sure  of  some  treasure.  He  asked 
the  boy  what  his  treasure  was.  "It's  just  a 
piece  of  mother's  dress,"  said  he.  "When 
I  get  kind  o'  lonesome  I  like  to  feel  it;  makes 
me  feel  she  isn't  far  off." 
262 


The  Junior  Parish 

God  gives  us  our  mothers.  If  he  has 
given  you  and  me  a  good,  loving  mother  let 
us  be  very  thankful  to  him.  And  let  us 
show  our  thankfulness  by  our  kindness  and 
obedience,  and  above  all  by  living  good  lives. 
That  will  not  only  bring  honor  to  her,  but  it 
will  give  her  the  sweetest  reward  for  all  her 
love  to  us. 


263 


SHOW  YOUR  COLORS 

FOURTH   OF   JULY 

Thou  hast  given  a  banner  to  them  that  fear  thee, 
That  it  may  be  displayed  because  of  the  truth. 

— Psalm   60:4. 

This  is  Fourth  of  July,  and  the  flags  are 
flying.  Everybody  seems  proud  of  our  na- 
tion's banner.  Our  text  says  that  a  banner 
is  given  to  be  displayed.  We  would  not 
have  a  flag  and  keep  it  shut  up  in  a  drawer. 

How  can  we  show  our  colors?  By  our 
words.  We  need  not  be  ashamed  of  our 
principles,  but  should  speak  out  when  we 
may.  That  shows  which  side  we  are  on.  A 
visitor  once  came  to  a  town  where  the  citizens 
were  having  a  great  temperance  campaign. 
They  were  trying  to  drive  out  the  saloons. 
One  of  the  liquor  men  asked  the  visitor  which 
side  he  was  on.  He  replied,  "You  just  step 
264 


The  Junior  Parish 

up  to  God  and  ask  him  which  side  he  is  on; 
step  up  to  the  wives  and  children  of  the 
drunkards  and  ask  them  which  side  they  are 
on;  I  am  on  the  same  side." 

We  should  be  sure  that  there  is  no  mis- 
take as  to  our  position  in  all  matters  of  right 
and  wrong.  A  person  never  looks  handsome 
sitting  on  a  fence.  It  isn't  comfortable 
either. 

How  can  we  show  our  colors?  By  our 
deeds.  We  do  not  always  need  to  talk. 
We  should  so  live  that  people  will  know 
where  we  stand.  If  I  am  a  Christian  I 
ought  to  be  different  from  those  who  are  not 
Christians.  If  I  am  doing  anything  for  my 
Saviour,  people  will  see  that  I  am  his.  You 
have  seen  the  glowworms  at  night,  shining  all 
the  time.  ~No,  not  all  the  time,  only  when 
they  move;  if  they  stop,  the  light  goes  out. 
There  is  many  an  opportunity  at  school  and 
elsewhere  for  boys  and  girls  to  show  their 
265 


The  Junior  Parish 

colors  by  their  deeds.  Show  your  colors, 
girls,  by  not  having  anything  to  do  with  bad 
boys.  Show  your  colors,  boys,  by  good, 
clean,  manly  lives. 

Why  should  we  show  our  colors?  Well, 
it  does  a  great  deal  of  good.  It  helps  the 
right  side.  It  is  a  good  example  and  so  en- 
courages others  to  do  right.  It  strengthens 
us  in  right  doing,  whereas  if  we  hide  our 
colors  we  are  more  likely  to  do  wrong.  And 
it  pleases  God  and  brings  us  a  blessing  from 
him. 

One  way  of  showing  our  colors  is  by  join- 
ing the  church,  if  we  are  Christians.  When 
we  join  the  church  what  does  it  mean?  Do 
we  say,  "I  feel  myself  to  be  better  than 
others,  and  I  make  a  profession  of  my  good- 
ness"? It  means  that  we  feel  ourselves  to 
be  weak  and  sinful  and  that  we  need  Christ. 
It  means  that  what  little  talent  we  have  be- 
longs to  him  and  that  we  offer  it  to  him. 
266 


The  Junior  Parish 

We  step  over  on  to  his  side  and  promise  to 
try  to  live  for  him.  Thus  we  show  our  col- 
ors. 

Does  God  care  to  have  us  come  out  on  his 
side?  He  cares  so  much  that  he  has  prom- 
ised that  if  we  confess  him  before  men,  he 
will  confess  us  before  his  Father  in  heaven. 
Do  not  try  to  be  a  Christian  in  secret.  Take 
up  the  banner  of  the  cross  and  follow  after 
Jesus. 


zm 


THE  STAR  OF  BETHLEHEM 

We  saw  his  star. — Matthew  2 :  2. 

This  is  Christmas-time,  and  the  whole 
world  is  celebrating  the  birth  of  a  Saviour. 
His  coming  to  earth  was  so  glorious  that  it 
was  announced  by  angels,  and  the  wise  men 
were  guided  to  his  manger  by  a  star  in  the 
heavens.  And  what  may  we  learn  from  the 
Star  of  Bethlehem? 

One  lesson  is  that  if  we  seek  Jesus  we  shall 
be  guided  to  find  him.  It  will  not  be  by  a 
star  in  these  days,  but  in  some  way  God  will 
lead  us  to  our  Saviour  if  we  truly  desire  to 
find  him.  He  himself  says,  "They  that  seek 
me  diligently  shall  find  me."  Would  you 
like  to  find  him  as  your  Friend  and  Re- 
deemer? God  will  guide  you,  perhaps  by 
your  father  or  mother,  perhaps  by  your 
teacher  or  some  friend,  perhaps  by  the  Bible 
268 


The  'Junior  Parish 

as  you  read  it,  or  by  the  Holy  Spirit.  No 
one  fails  to  find  the  Saviour  who  seeks  him. 

As  we  look  at  the  Star  of  Bethlehem  we 
think  of  God's  great  love  to  his  children. 
He  sent  Christ  to  save  us  because  he  "so 
loved  the  world."  The  world  did  not  care 
to  be  saved,  and  crucified  Jesus  when  he 
came,  but  God  loved  men  more  than  they 
loved  themselves.  The  star  was  Christ's. 
He  made  it.  He  lived  above  the  stars  in 
heaven,  with  all  the  angels  about  him,  in  per- 
fect bliss  with  his  Father.  And  all  this  he 
left  to  come  down  to  earth  to  be  hated  and 
abused  and  killed  by  men  whom  he  longed 
to  save. 

Does  he  ever  ask  us  to  give  up  anything 
for  his  sake?  Think  of  all  that  he  gave  up 
for  our  sake.  Do  we  ever  have  troubles  and 
sufferings?  Think  of  how  much  he  suf- 
fered! And  he  did  not  deserve  to  suffer, 
while  we  do.  Let  us  at  Christmas-time  think 
269 


The  Junior  Parish 

of  Jesus  as  God's  best  gift,  more  precious 
than  all  our  possessions,  all  our  other  friends, 
and  let  us  feel  that  if  we  have  him  we  are 
rich,  even  though  we  may  not  have  much  of 
the  wealth  of  this  world. 

The  Star  of  Bethlehem  guided  men  who 
were  bringing  to  Jesus  gifts  of  gold  and 
frankincense  and  myrrh.  They  came  not 
only  to  receive  something  from  Christ  but  to 
present  to  him  an  offering.  Christmas  is  a 
time  for  us  to  accept  this  Saviour  who  comes, 
also  to  give  to  him  and  to  others  of  our 
abundance.  We  are  glad  to  receive  Christ- 
mas presents,  but  Jesus  himself  said,  "It  is 
more  blessed  to  give  than  to  receive."  Do 
you  know  any  poor  or  needy  persons  to 
whom  you  can  carry  some  Christmas  cheer? 
Can  you  help  make  this  a  truly  merry 
Christmas  for  some  one  who  does  not  have  so 
much  to  enjoy  as  you  have?  It  would  be 
very  unfortunate,  would  it  not,  if  Christmas 

no 


The  Junior  Parish 

were  to  make  us  selfish,  thinking  only  of 
ourselves?  The  happiest  people  in  the 
world  are  those  who  have  learned  this  Christ- 
mas lesson,  and  are  trying  to  make  the  world 
happier  and  better.  Christ  came  to  show  us 
how  to  be  good  and  how  to  do  good :  he  came 
to  make  us  good. 


271 


LETTING  GO  AND  TAKING 
HOLD 

END   OF  THE  YEAR 

Forgetting  the  things  which  are  behind,  and  stretch- 
ing forward  to  the  things  which  are  before. — Philip- 
pians  3: 13. 

This  is  the  last  day  of  the  old  year,  and 
to-morrow  we  begin  a  new  one.  To-night 
we  let  go ;  to-morrow  morning  we  shall  take 
hold. 

It  isn't  always  easy  to  let  go.  There  is 
that  quarrel.  You  were  in  the  right,  of 
course,  as  you  always  are.  Are  you  going 
to  carry  it  over  into  the  bright  new  year? 
Will  you  cherish  those  bad  feelings  toward 
your  enemy?    Better  let  it  go. 

And  that  misfortune  which  you  had  this 
last  year,  what  is  it  like?     Is  it  like  a  heavy 


The  Junior  Parish 

stone  tied  to  your  leg  by  a  rope,  hindering 
you  as  you  walk?  I  wouldn't  drag  it  along 
for  another  twelvemonth.  Cut  the  rope. 
Forget  the  trouble  and  trust  God.  Sup- 
pose an  angel  were  to  come  to  you  to-mor- 
row, as  you  wake  up,  and  say,  "I  am  going 
to  take  all  your  affairs  in  charge  for  this 
year,"  wouldn't  you  be  happy?  But  that  is 
just  what  God  says  he  will  do  for  you. 

How  about  habits  ?  Do  you  think  of  any 
which  you  can  let  go  and  be  a  gainer  ?  Per- 
haps you  have  seen  a  beautiful  boat  sailing 
fast  through  the  water.  How  gayly  she 
glides  on !  How  the  waves  sparkle :  how  the 
white  sails  glimmer !  Lovely  picture !  But 
what  is  the  matter?  She  seems  to  be  in 
trouble.  She  moves  slowly.  The  sailors 
are  looking  over  the  sides  at  something  in 
the  water.  Ah,  me,  she  has  run  into  a  mass 
of  seaweed  and  cannot  get  on.  Every  bad 
habit  is  a  drag  on  our  vessel  as  we  make  the 
273 


The  Junior  Parish 

life  voyage.  Be  quick,  get  that  habit  out  of 
the  way. 

How  are  you  going  to  take  hold  of  the 
things  that  are  before? 

You  have  been  promoted  into  a  higher 
grade  and  ahead  of  you  are  new  studies,  new 
duties,  larger  opportunities.  Take  a  fresh 
grip  and  press  forward.  It  will  require 
some  courage  and  much  perseverance.  Per- 
haps God  will  give  you  some  hard  things  to 
do.  It  is  the  hard  tasks  which  make  strong 
characters.  I  like  that  New  England 
farmer  who  was  urged  to  go  West,  where 
farming  is  easy,  who  replied,  "I  should  hate 
to  put  my  spade  into  the  ground  where  it  did 
not  hit  against  a  rock." 

Are  you  going  to  be  better  boys  and  girls 
the  coming  year?  Are  you  going  to  be 
sweeter  and  kinder  and  more  thoughtful,  not 
quite  so  selfish,  more  useful  and  helpful? 
Are  you  going  to  think  more  of  what  you 
274 


The  Junior  Parish 

can  do  for  others,  and  not  so  much  of  your 
own  wants  and  wishes? 

Then  take  hold  of  the  Saviour's  hand. 
This  new  year  will  be  the  best  of  all  if  you 
have  Jesus  with  you  through  it  all.  It  will 
be  indeed  a  Happy  New  Year. 


275 


INDEX  OF  TEXTS 


Genesis  3:8    203 

19:16     78 

Joshua  2:7 215 

1  Samuel  16:7 101 

2  Kings  6:5    211 

Esther  5:  13    148 

Job  38:7 7 

Psalms  49:4 19 

56:4    180 

60:4    264 

66:2    119 

68:9     141 

90:12    10 

92:  12    137 

119:105    22 

Proverbs  3:9    91 

4:23     68 

10:17    248 

14:12     31 

20:22    54 

22:1     27 

22:  13    231 

Ecclesiastes  3:2   ...  133 

5:5    62 

Song      of      Solomon 

2:  11,  12    256 

Isaiah  58:  11 116 


Jeremiah  18:4 172 

36:6    237 

Ezekiel  38:  10    51 

Daniel  5:27 47 

Jonah   1:3     84 

Micah   7:3    244 

Zechariah   4:  10    .  .  .  81 

Malachi  3:  17 219 

Matthew    2:2 268 

5:7    58 

5:16    156 

7:27     37 

13:31     160 

27:22     40 

Mark    11:3 207 

16:  15     145 

Luke   4:  16    3 

6:26     108 

10:10    16 

15:13     88 

16:11     126 

John  1:38    200 

1:46     227 

2:7     152 

4:42     104 

19:27     260 

Acts  12:8 240 


277 


Index  of  Texts 


Romans  12:  21    97 

1  Corinthians    9:  13  94 

2  Corinthians  8 :  23  34. 
Ephesians  4: 26  ...  196 
Philippians  3:  13    .  .  65 

3:  13     272 

4:11     75 

4:  13     44 

Colossians  3:  13     .  .  130 

1  Timothy  4:  13  ...  176 

5:22    122 


2  Timothy  1:6 223 

Hebrews  12:1    112 

12:2    192 

James  4:  14    184 

1  Peter  3:8 13 

3:  12    188 

2  Peter  1:4   168 

Revelation  16:  15  .  .  71 

22:2     164 

22:11    252 


278 


D* 


F* 


i  *p 


mm 


safe 


S$H9 


'mi 


■:■..>■■ 


